nitpick
Other forms: nitpicking; nitpicked; nitpicks
When you nitpick, you focus on small, specific mistakes. An English teacher might nitpick by pointing out an unnecessary comma in your otherwise perfect 20-page paper.
People who nitpick are bothered by minor problems — or else they're just looking for something to criticize. A movie critic who dislikes a director might nitpick about her latest film's slight inaccuracies. Your mom might nitpick about your outfit, saying, "It's a shame your socks don't quite match." Nitpick was first used in 1962, and nitpicker came first, from the idea that nitpickers search for faults the way they might pick nits, or lice eggs, from someone's hair.
-
be overly critical; criticize minor detailstype of:criticise, criticize, knock, pick apartfind fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing nitpick
In this novel, the members of Mrs. Olinski's champion Academic Bowl team reveal the secrets behind their unexpected success.
After her family moves to the insular small town of Unity Valley, Astrid feels unable to open up to her parents and confused by her relationships with her friends — so she explores her feelings by imagining conversations with passengers in the airplanes that fly overhead.