as in complained
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
her husband nitpicks about everything: from how she puts the plates away to how she files the bills
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Recent Examples of nitpicked
Pride & Prejudice was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $120 million worldwide, though some nitpicked at the film for not being entirely accurate to Jane Austen’s original book.
—
Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nitpicked
Verb
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But Republicans have long complained that Democrats have used the law to get winnable districts for their Black voters in red states that Republican-leaning white voters could never receive in blue states.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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This poll also marks the fifth straight year Americans complained things are getting worse, not better.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The story that’s being quibbled about concerns a teen suicide.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
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During a debate Tuesday, some lawmakers quibbled over whether the bill would infringe on the free market.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though the value can be criticized, Love is immediately going to make Arizona’s offense exponentially better.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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After the hearing, John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the union that represents Chicago police officers, harshly criticized the SAFE-T Act and the county’s criminal courts judges who repeatedly released Talley from custody in his prior crimes of violence.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Senior executives carped about Chapek to Disney board members.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nitpicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nitpicked. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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