Nitpick

To nitpick means to focus on insignificant details or flaws, often in a way that is considered overly critical or fault-finding. It involves picking apart something, often a text, argument, or plan, and focusing on minor imperfections rather than addressing the larger, more important issues. This can involve a negative and overly analytical assessment of details or a focus on pedantic or insignificant corrections and is usually perceived as being annoying or counterproductive. Nitpicking can stem from perfectionism, insecurity, or a desire to control a situation.

Nitpick meaning with examples

• The editor constantly nitpicked every sentence of my manuscript, focusing on minor grammatical errors rather than the story's overall structure. This made it challenging to take the process seriously and made me question the editor's actual editing abilities. Ultimately the nitpicking slowed the process down significantly.
• During the team presentation, the manager kept nitpicking the font size and bullet point formatting, ignoring the insightful content and innovative ideas. It came across poorly that the manager was missing the point. The team grew frustrated and lost enthusiasm due to the relentless nitpicking.
• Instead of celebrating the successful project launch, she started nitpicking minor inconsistencies in the promotional materials, missing the bigger picture of the achievement. It was very counter productive and made the team uncomfortable with the level of critique.
• The customer service representative spent the entire call nitpicking the client's wording, instead of addressing their actual complaint. This caused the client to become more frustrated, making the resolution process long and ultimately unsuccessful. The constant nitpicking was the only takeaway.
• He's always nitpicking my cooking, pointing out minuscule flaws in the seasoning and presentation, even though everyone else enjoys the food. It's clear that he is trying to assert his dominance with the nitpicking.