Standard Lemma guide

finicky

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfɪnɪki/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F IH1 N AH0 K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Demanding; requiring above-normal care.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

exacting especially about details

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a finicky eater
  • fussy about clothes
  • very particular about how her food was prepared

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: finical, fussy, particular, picky

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: primmirat — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Czech: vybíravý — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Czech: puntičkářský — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • French: pinailleur — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • French: pointilleux — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • French: scrupuleux — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Galician: repugnante — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: kleinlich — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: anspruchsvoll — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: wählerisch — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: pedantisch — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: etepetete — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: zimperlich — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: affektiert — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: pingelig — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: krütsch — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: überkorrekt — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: übergenau — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: peinlich genau — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Hungarian: szőrszálhasogató — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Italian: puntiglioso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Italian: pignolo — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Polish: wybredny — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Portuguese: meticuloso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Portuguese: minucioso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Russian: привере́дливый (priverédlivyj) — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: fastidioso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: melindroso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: remilgado — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: puntilloso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: quisquilloso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: tiquismiquis — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: pejiguero — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: esquilimoso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: pedante — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Spanish: escolimoso — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Swedish: petig — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • Ottoman Turkish: تتیز (titiz) — fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting
  • German: anspruchsvoll — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • German: heikel — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • German: pflegebedürftig — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • Polish: przesadny — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • Russian: капризный (kapriznyj) — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • Spanish: difícil — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • Spanish: dificultoso — demanding, requiring above-normal care
  • Swedish: pillig — demanding, requiring above-normal care