Pedantic - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Definition:
Excessively concerned with minor details or rules, often in a showy or annoying way.
Synonyms:
nitpicking, fussy, dogmatic, precise
Part of Speech:
adjective
Antonyms:
casual, relaxed
Common Collocations:
pedantic tone, pedantic approach, pedantic attention to detail
Derivatives:
pedantically, pedantry
Usage Tips:
Use "pedantic" to describe someone overly focused on trivial rules or correctness in a way that seems unnecessary or annoying.
Common Phrases:
split hairs, by the book, dot the i's and cross the t's
Etymology:
Derived from French "pédant," meaning teacher, influenced by Italian "pedante," originally referring to a schoolmaster overly focused on rules.
Examples:
- 1. His pedantic corrections made the meeting tedious.
- 2. She dismissed his pedantic argument as irrelevant to the discussion.
- 3. The professor’s pedantic style bored his students.
- 4. Avoid being pedantic when giving feedback to colleagues.