finicky
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From fr. finicking, from finical, from fine + -ical. Compare dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by Middle Dutch fijnkens 'accurately, neatly, prettily'. Cfr. also Sicilian finicchiu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɪnɪki/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adjective
finicky (comparative finickier or more finicky, superlative finickiest or most finicky)
- (informal, of a person) Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.
- Synonyms: fastidious, fussy; see also Thesaurus:fastidious
- My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right.
- She has a finicky baby that's hard to feed.
- (informal) Demanding; requiring above-normal care.
- The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.
Usage notes
- The forms finickier and finickiest also exist, but are quite rare, and perhaps nonstandard. The forms more finicky and most finicky are much more common, and certainly standard.
Derived terms
Translations
fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
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demanding, requiring above-normal care
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Further reading
- “finicky”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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