Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
nitpick. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
nitpick, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
nitpick in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
nitpick you have here. The definition of the word
nitpick will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
nitpick, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand.
Pronunciation
Verb
nitpick (third-person singular simple present nitpicks, present participle nitpicking, simple past and past participle nitpicked)
- (figurative) To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.
- Synonyms: cavil, flyspeck
Someone will invariably nitpick about any spelling error posted to the forums.
2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club:But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it.
- (archaic, literal) To pick nits (lice eggs) from someone’s hair.
I nitpicked his hair.
Related terms
Translations
to correct minutiae or find fault
- Assamese: ধৰ (dhor)
- Catalan: filar prim (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 找碴 (zaau2 zaa1), 找岔子 (zaau2 caa3 zi2)
- Hokkien: 蹊蹺／蹊跷 (khi-khiau)
- Mandarin: 吹毛求疵 (zh) (chuīmáoqiúcī), 吹求 (zh) (chuīqiú), 挑刺 (zh) (tiāocì), 挑錯／挑错 (tiāocuò), 挑剔 (zh) (tiāoti), 找碴 (zh) (zhǎochá), 找岔子 (zh) (zhǎo chàzi)
- Dutch: muggenziften (nl), mierenneuken (nl), vitten (nl)
- Finnish: nipottaa (fi), saivarrella (fi), hifistellä
- French: pinailler (fr), chercher la petite bête (fr), chicaner (fr), chipoter (fr), mégoter (fr)
- German: pingelig sein (de), herumnörgeln (de)
- Hungarian: akadékoskodik (hu), kötözködik (hu), gáncsoskodik (hu)
- Indonesian: rewel (id), cerewet (id)
- Italian: cercare il pelo nell'uovo (literally “look for the hair in the egg”), cavillare (it), impancarsi, fiscaleggiare (it), pignoleggiare (uncommon)
- Japanese: 揚げ足を取る (あげあしをとる, ageashi o toru), 咎める (ja) (とがめる, togameru), 拘る (ja) (こだわる, kodawaru), 粗探しする (あらさがしする, arasagashi suru)
- Macedonian: ситничари (sitničari), цепидлачи (cepidlači), го тупи курот (go tupi kurot) (vulgar), тупи (tupi) (vulgar)
- Maltese: fettaq
- Maori: toretore
- Norwegian:
- Nynorsk: skjegle
- Polish: czepiać się impf, czepić się pf, przyczepiać się impf, przyczepić się pf; szukać dziury w całym (pl) (look for holes all over); przypieprzać się impf, przypieprzyć się pf (do + genitive) (vulgar); przypierdalać się impf, przypierdolić się pf, przypierdzielać się impf, przypierdzielić się pf (do + genitive) (vulgar)
- Portuguese: procurar pelo em ovo (literally “look for hair in egg”), implicar (pt)
- Romanian: căuta nod în papură
- Russian: придира́ться (ru) impf (pridirátʹsja), придра́ться (ru) pf (pridrátʹsja) (к + dative case)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: цепидлачити, цјепидлачити
- Roman: cepidlačiti (sh), cjepidlačiti (sh)
- Spanish: buscar el pelo en el huevo (literally “look for the hair in the egg”), buscarle tres pies al gato (literally “look for three feet on the cat”), buscarle la quinta pata al gato (literally “look for the fifth foot on the cat”), cogérsela con papel de fumar (es) (literally “pick it up with rolling paper”) (colloquial)
- Swedish: kritisera småsaker
- Turkish: dananın altında buzağı aramak (idiom)
- Vietnamese: câu chấp (vi)
- West Frisian: miggesiftsje (rare)
- Yakut: тутус (tutus)
|
See also