: making excessively fine or trivial distinctions in reasoning
ancient hairsplitting technicalities of special pleading—Charles Sumner
tricky hairsplitting statesmen—Weston La Barre
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: hairsplitting reasoning or argument
an excessive penchant for intellectual and verbal hairsplitting—J. W. Beach
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“Hairsplitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairsplitter. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
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