Dictionary

finicky en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈfɪnɪki/

Etymology

From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.

Meanings

1. (informal, of a person) Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.
   • 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.
2. (informal) Demanding; requiring above-normal care.
   • The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.
   • Instead of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cream Cheese Pie Crust from her addictingly finicky The Pie and Pastry Bible, I decided to make her Sour Cream Crust. 2009 July 13, Evan Kleiman, “Pie-a-Day #20 & #21: Cherry Pie and Sour Cream Ice Cream Pie”, in KCRW, archived from the original on 03 Jun 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

finickily · finickity · finickiness · unfinicky

Synonyms

finicking · fastidious · hypercritical · picky · overscrupulous · meticulous · anal-retentive · persnickety · fussy · finical · lily-handed · finikin · nitty · fastidious · pernickety · niggly · picky · dainty · particular · conscientious · fastidious · finicky · choosy · meticulous · particular · nit-picky · nitpickish · finickity · fussy · exacting · overcritical · exacting · pedantic · fussy

Translations (48)

sv petig (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · pl skrupulatny (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · pl drobiazgowy (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · sv pillig (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · es tiquismiquis (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es puntilloso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · ru привере́дливый (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · hu szőrszálhasogató (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es fastidioso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es melindroso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de pflegebedürftig (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · pt minucioso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de pedantisch (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · cs vybíravý (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es pejiguero (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es difícil (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · es quisquilloso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de anspruchsvoll (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es dificultoso (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · fr pointilleux (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de kleinlich (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · ca primmirat (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · pl wybredny (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de überkorrekt (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de peinlich genau (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de übergenau (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · it puntiglioso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es esquilimoso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · pl przesadny (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · de wählerisch (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de anspruchsvoll (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · de krütsch (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · ota تتیز (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de etepetete (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · pt meticuloso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · it pignolo (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de heikel (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · cs puntičkářský (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de zimperlich (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de affektiert (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es pedante (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · fr scrupuleux (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · fr pinailleur (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · de pingelig (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es remilgado (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · ru капризный (demanding, requiring above-normal care) · gl repugnante (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting) · es escolimoso (fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting)