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
There are some who are not a fan of this upcoming quarterback class at all and have been nitpicking red flags with many of the top prospects at the position like Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson.
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Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
But that certainly didn’t stop the critics from nitpicking everything from her rocking sleeveless dresses to not wearing hosiery.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
During rehearsals, teams of marching technicians, student teachers and band leaders nitpick the show to perfection, sometimes spending much of their practice time going through the show second by second.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
Filmmaking is nitpicking, anxiety, fights, claustrophobia, exhaustion, euphoria.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nitpick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpick
Verb
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Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
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Although older drivers are certainly more sensitive to nocturnal blasts of light, drivers in their 20s and 30s also complained about the overall brightness of some vehicles.—
Verb
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Historians may quibble, but a review of Cheney’s actions and statements appears to be a definitive no.—
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Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.—
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.—
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However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.—
Verb
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Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Verb
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Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
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There’s something moaning in the background.—
Cite this Entry
“Nitpick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpick. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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