Pedantic

/pəˈdæn.tɪk/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

Excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

His pedantic approach to teaching often left students feeling overwhelmed by unnecessary details.

Overly concerned with formalism and literal accuracy.

The lawyer's pedantic insistence on reading every clause verbatim made the meeting drag on for hours.

Characterized by a narrow focus on trivial aspects of a subject.

She found his pedantic commentary on the text rather tedious, as it missed the broader themes.

Demonstrating excessive pride in one's knowledge of academic trivia.

His pedantic nature was evident when he launched into a lengthy discussion about the etymology of words during casual conversation.

Marked by an ostentatious display of knowledge.

The book was criticized for its pedantic tone, which did not engage the average reader.

Derived from the French 'pédant', which refers to a schoolmaster or a learned person.

pedantic tone:

A manner of speaking that emphasizes unnecessary details and formalities.

pedantic approach:

A way of dealing with issues that focuses excessively on minute details.

pedantic criticism:

A critique focused on trivial details rather than the overall picture.

Nitpick

Stop being such a nitpick; not every detail is worth arguing about.

Know-it-all

He acts like a know-it-all, always correcting everyone's mistakes.