finicky

[ fin-i-kee ]

adjective

, fin·ick·i·er, fin·ick·i·est.

1. excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy.

   Synonyms: picky, choosy, meticulous, demanding, exacting

finicky

/ ˈfɪnɪkɪ /

adjective

1. excessively particular, as in tastes or standards; fussy
2. full of trivial detail; overelaborate

Other Words From

• su·per·fin·ick·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of finicky¹

First recorded in 1815–25; finick + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of finicky¹

C19: from finical

Example Sentences

The Medfly is not a finicky eater; its menu is as long as a Cheesecake Factory’s: 200-plus fruits and veg from every climate.

From Los Angeles Times

Its rice was a finicky crop that sprouts slow, skinny and tall, with fewer grains per bunch, and heads that can sag below the reach of the thresher and end up in the mud.

From Los Angeles Times

Hubble’s gyroscopes, which spin at 19,200 revolutions per minute, are extremely precise but finicky.

From Science Magazine

The sticking point is that, unlike forgiving chicken legs and roots, which have a relatively wide window of doneness, shrimp and zucchini can be finicky.

From Seattle Times

The particle accelerators that enable high-energy physics and serve many fields of science, such as materials, medical, and fusion research, are driven by superconducting magnets that are, to put it simply, quite finicky.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• choosy
• fastidious
• fussy
• scrupulous
• squeamish