chiefly British
: requiring close attention to detail : fussy
especially
: requiring an annoying amount of close attention
… the tiny control buttons on the back are fiddly. —
M. J. McNamara
M. J. McNamara Examples of fiddly in a Sentence
connecting up all the wires and the other fiddly bits
Recent Examples on the Web
The shoulder fur sections are fiddly parts of the build, as too much pressure can skew the semicircular frames.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
For Backcountry Adventures For those who loathe fiddly snowshoe bindings, the TSL Symbioz Hyperflex Instinct (sold out, view other options here) is a godsend.
—Benjamin Tepler, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fiddly
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Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
For Backcountry Adventures For those who loathe fiddly snowshoe bindings, the TSL Symbioz Hyperflex Instinct (sold out, view other options here) is a godsend.
—Benjamin Tepler, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fiddly
Cite this Entry
“Fiddly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddly. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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