1
as in lawyer
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2
as in quibbler
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Recent Examples of pettifogger
For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogger
Noun
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Paul and Mortensen are expected to participate in the hearing remotely while their lawyers appear in person at the Salt Lake City courthouse.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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One night, Nathan Calvin, a twenty-nine-year-old lawyer who worked at the nonprofit Encode and had helped craft the bill, was at home having dinner with his wife when a process server arrived to deliver a subpoena from OpenAI.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
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To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.—
Eliza Strickland,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There is a new Jaguar logo, which some purists claim to hate, and a move upmarket as well, with the new flagship model likely to start at around $130,000, putting it beyond premium and into the realm of genuine luxury.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2026
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For every cultural good, identity has become fused with the object of interest, turning previously normal people leading unremarkable lives into Steak ’n Shake beef-tallow purists, Harry Potter moralists, or cast-iron-pan-cleaning radicals.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Part of what contributes to the slim odds is the fact that Morris is seeking to move the process forward using Christian arbitration, while Gateway wants to use a standard legal approach, Morris’ attorney Bill Mateja told the Star-Telegram last July.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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Even attorneys who specialize in wills, trusts, estate planning and probate may have no experience dealing with Chapter 415 of the Florida Statutes.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Monsieur D’Estrées was a very strict teacher, a perfectionist.—
Valentina Bottoni,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
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This means the perfectionist in you can zero in on the perfect shade of beige or blue without shelling out for customized covers.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pettifogger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogger. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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