pettifoggers

noun

plural of pettifogger
1
as in ambulance chasers

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2
as in criticasters

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifoggers
  1. lawyers
  2. purists
  3. shysters
  4. perfectionists
  5. legal eagles
Noun
  • Unable to function in the real world, the kid then surrounds himself with publicists, lawyers and all sorts of professional help to smooth the transition.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has used his office to intervene on behalf of donors since taking office last year, inserting the state’s lawyers in civil disputes to help developers and car dealers.
    — Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of lawyers
Noun
  • This year, blessedly free of injury, Muchová has belatedly been able to play the kind of tennis that makes purists purr.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of purists
Noun
  • The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
Definition of shysters
Noun
  • Kurtz said the partners are all perfectionists, and that carries over to their cup quality.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Both Virgos and Taureans are known to be headstrong perfectionists, so don’t be too harsh on yourself during these fun few weeks.
    — Snehaa Khanna Sahgal, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of perfectionists
Noun
  • As its title implies, Suits LA moved the action of the original from the Big Apple to Tinseltown, and followed a new group of legal eagles led by Amell's Ted, who was revealed to have a connection to Suits' Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht, who recurred in several episodes on the spinoff).
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
  • That should come as no surprise to anyone who watched the trailer and noticed the luxe wardrobes worn by the female legal eagles.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of legal eagles
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Cite this Entry

“Pettifoggers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifoggers. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pettifoggers

Nglish: Translation of pettifoggers for Spanish Speakers

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