finicky
/ˈfɪnɪki/ adjective
Forms finickier finickiest
- adjective (informal, of a person) Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details. “My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right.”
- adjective (informal) Demanding; requiring above-normal care. “The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.”
Synonyms
fastidious fussy anal-retentive choosy conscientious dainty exacting finical finicking finickity finikin hypercritical lily-handed meticulous niggly nitpickish nit-picky nitty overcritical overscrupulous particular picky
Etymology
From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Finical; unduly particular. [Colloq.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “finicky”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details