1
as in lawyer
Related Words
Relevance
2
as in quibbler
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
In January, lawyer Robert Pang said Lai suffered health issues including heart palpitations, high blood pressure and diabetes.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
She had been arrested in December at a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate who had been based in Mashhad.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
For purists, that will be the biggest downside to the RS5 going PHEV, and a challenge for Audi engineers, who will need to build a car with the driving dynamics of a sports car in a package that will likely weigh over two tons.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The DJs and producers are not purists overall.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Groft’s attorneys in November expressed doubt as to his mental competency, but a judge deemed Groft competent after an evaluation.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Simpson's defense attorneys and prosecutors with the state paint two very different pictures of Kendrick Simpson.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To be a perfectionist is normally to be a pain.—
Kevin Power,
The New York Review of Books,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Smith-Njigba is a perfectionist, though.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pettifogger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogger. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
