nitpicked

verb

past tense of nitpick
as in complained
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 nitpicked Tucker even nitpicked the nine-pitch at-bat that ended in the pull-side homer. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 Diehards nitpicked pointless details like Bond's hair color as an excuse to dismiss the whole experiment. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026 Pride & Prejudice was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $120 million worldwide, though some nitpicked at the film for not being entirely accurate to Jane Austen’s original book. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicked
  1. complained
  2. fussed
  3. quibbled
  4. moaned
  5. criticized
  6. carped
Verb
  • Irvine's sister, aunts and cousins attended Romero's court hearing in New York City Thursday and complained to reporters that the former police officer was allegedly receiving special treatment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Prior Justice Department inspectors general have long complained about the limitations to their authority to investigate certain types of attorney misconduct.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of fussed
Verb
  • The story that’s being quibbled about concerns a teen suicide.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
  • During a debate Tuesday, some lawmakers quibbled over whether the bill would infringe on the free market.
    — Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of quibbled
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, criticized the state's election officials for not cooperating with the department's demands.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some Democrats have criticized national groups for not spending more in Southern states like Mississippi.
    — Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • While fans carped about the new commercial units, Fox immediately got to work making lemonade.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Senior executives carped about Chapek to Disney board members.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of carped

Browse Nearby Words

nitpick
nitpicked
nitpicker
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Cite this Entry

“Nitpicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpicked. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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