as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
her husband nitpicks about everything: from how she puts the plates away to how she files the bills
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Recent Examples of nitpick
Gomez has been called out for her Spanish in the film, but that feels like nitpicking in a movie where absurdity often feels like the principle.
—
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Instead of nitpicking, lean into creating a seductive self-care routine: luxurious baths with candles, essential oils, and maybe a little solo exploration under the sheets to remind yourself of your natural fire.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 18 Dec. 2024
People are sick of the Biden administration’s excessive overreach, including the intention to hire 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service agents to nitpick every aspect of their lives.
—Carol Miller, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
Or perhaps division, as outsiders begin to nitpick the juggernaut and single out which players are most important to the pursuit.
—Kyle Tucker, The Athletic, 4 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Instead of nitpicking, lean into creating a seductive self-care routine: luxurious baths with candles, essential oils, and maybe a little solo exploration under the sheets to remind yourself of your natural fire.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 18 Dec. 2024
People are sick of the Biden administration’s excessive overreach, including the intention to hire 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service agents to nitpick every aspect of their lives.
—Carol Miller, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
Or perhaps division, as outsiders begin to nitpick the juggernaut and single out which players are most important to the pursuit.
—Kyle Tucker, The Athletic, 4 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick
Verb
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While many people who renounced their citizenship complained of being unhappy with the political climate in the US, another reason for their decision is often taxes, Alistair Bambridge, a partner at Bambridge Accountants, told CNN in August 2020.—
Edward Szekeres,
CNN,
5 Mar. 2025
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Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed dramatically with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office Friday after Zelenskyy complained about Russian President Vladimir Putin.—
Riley Beggin,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman and Elon Musk seem to have lost their budding friendship of just a few months ago, as the two quibbled over X (formerly Twitter).—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
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The soldier must choose between steps that work towards a compromise or rile up the quibbling parties.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA TODAY,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Naysayers often cavil that California’s economic growth depends almost entirely on Silicon Valley and the capital gains income of its wealthiest residents, but its primacy in high technology encompasses fields outside Northern California, such as biotech.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2021
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However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.—
Kelly Corbett,
House Beautiful,
7 Oct. 2020
Verb
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On top of this, her mother and sister are fussing about her future relationship status, which leads to them plotting some dates for her.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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The world saw this five-man group as an ideal of friendship, a community working and living together, fussing and fighting but making rough beauty out of it.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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And all that online chatter, all those detractors who keep moaning about the Chiefs playing in the biggest games of the year every year?—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
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Men writhe and moan in the shadows just out of sight as a young gay man walks through the dark room at Adonis, Copenhagen’s only gay sauna.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpick. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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