1
as in choosy
hard to please
a picky cat who would only eat one particular kind of food, and only if it was served in his special dish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selective
tending to select carefully
she's picky, but she always finds the best quality in fresh meat and fish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 picky
Rosewood is notoriously picky about locations, and its first debut winter resort is a testament to that.
—
Todd Plummer,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
Flatheads often scavenge and aren’t picky about their food.
—
Keith Sutton,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
Sometimes the fans can be picky.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
17 June 2026
The moment came after the brothers shared past podcast clips, including an exchange from a May episode, when Travis discussed being a picky eater.
—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for picky
Todd Plummer,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
Flatheads often scavenge and aren’t picky about their food.
—
Keith Sutton,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
Sometimes the fans can be picky.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
17 June 2026
The moment came after the brothers shared past podcast clips, including an exchange from a May episode, when Travis discussed being a picky eater.
—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for picky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picky
Adjective
-
Being choosy about that content is key.
-
The unique flavors are enough to impress even the choosiest casserole connoisseur.
Adjective
-
While varsity teams are part of the official National Collegiate Athletic Association program, and as such are highly selective and university-funded, club teams are student-run, relying on fundraising and fees and offer far less exposure.
-
Despite taking cost-saving actions, including a selective hiring freeze for non-uniformed positions, overtime restrictions, spending reductions, and travel suspensions, General Fund expenses still outpace revenue.
Adjective
-
The idea of apps like Partiful are to eliminate the need for finicky email threads and groupchats with a bunch of unknown numbers by instead putting all the info – guest list, event details and photos – in one place.
-
Part of the problem is that, outside of their tenants’ pleas, landlords face neither any real pressure nor any legal requirement to install shutters and ceiling fans; even owners who want to do so are thwarted by recalcitrant co-op boards or finicky historic-preservation reviews.
Adjective
-
Determination and careful calculations — hold on, carry the 2 — are a must.
-
Graduate students face lower federal limits and the loss of Grad PLUS, requiring careful financial planning.
Adjective
-
Neither side has been shy of attacking, which has been a nice change of pace compared with the first couple of knockout stage matches.
-
Been shooting some nice low scores in these last couple weeks outs here, so that’s something good to pat myself on the back.
Adjective
-
Making mini lava cakes is fussy, but this large format variation is as easy as can be.
-
Visually, Jaron’s clean lines and subtle stitching give it a timeless look that is anything but fussy.
Adjective
-
The 5-star analyst highlighted that Pinterest has delivered double-digit global user growth for ten consecutive quarters, with his May data analysis indicating particular momentum in the second quarter of 2026.
-
And Freddie becomes a bag man for the civil rights movement, and the Rumford Act in particular.
Adjective
-
Imagine creating a new standard of hypersensitive caution about attracting even the most persnickety media criticism, and then applying it for the first time to your son’s wedding.
-
Francesca’s pinnacle Once a Regency world has implied there’s mass print culture capable of speedy and pervasive distribution of colored images, something as persnickety as vocabulary is probably beside the point.
Cite this Entry
“Picky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picky. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
