nitpicker

noun

as in critic
a person given to harsh judgments and to finding faults a tiresome nitpicker who seems to think that I can't do anything right

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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 nitpicker Alas, nitpickers can point to some moves in which Atlanta went backward. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 May 2026 Maybe that’s why, compared with some other kinds of nitpickers, pop critics can seem especially extraneous. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicker
  1. critic
  2. criticizer
Noun
  • Purges of officials -- including some viewed as his political rivals -- have been carried out on a scale that led critics to argue the campaign was also used to consolidate his power.
    — KANIS LEUNG, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Its inaugural recipient is Japanese film critic and international cinema advocate Sahoko Hata, whose career helped introduce landmark European films to Japanese audiences.
    — Gavin Blair, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of critic
Noun
  • In turn, the criticizer is made out to be overreacting.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of criticizer

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nitpicked
nitpicker
nitpickers
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Cite this Entry

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

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