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Webster 1828 Edition

Pedantic

PEDANT'IC

Definition 2024

pedantic

pedantic

English

Alternative forms

pedantick (obsolete)

Adjective

pedantic ‎(comparative more pedantic, superlative most pedantic)

Like a pedant, overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning.
Being showy of one’s knowledge, often in a boring manner.
Being finicky or fastidious, especially with language.

Related terms

Synonyms

(like a pedant): (informal, derogatory) anal-retentive, fussy, nit-picky
(knowledge-peacock): (sometimes applicable) nit-picky, ostentatious, pedagogical, pretentious
(linguistically affected): fussy, nit-picky
See also Wikisaurus:fastidious

Translations

like a pedant

Chinese:
Mandarin: 教條 (zh), 教条 (zh) ‎(jiàotiáo)
Czech: pedantský (cs) f, pedantický m
Finnish: pedanttinen, pikkumainen (fi), pikkutarkka (fi)
French: méticuleux (fr)

Greek: σχολαστικός (el) ‎(scholastikós)
Japanese: 杓子定規 (ja) ‎(しゃくしじょうぎ, shakushi jyogi)
Portuguese: pedante (pt)
Romanian: meticulos (ro), pedant (ro)
Russian: педанти́чный (ru) ‎(pedantíčnyj)
Spanish: pedante; pretencioso

being showy of one's knowledge

Catalan: pedant
Chinese:
Mandarin: 掉書袋 (zh), 掉书袋 (zh) ‎(diàoshūdài), 舞文弄墨 (zh) ‎(wǔwénnòngmò)
Finnish: pedanttinen, rikkiviisas
French: pédant (fr)

Japanese: 学者ぶった ‎(がくしゃぶった, gakusha butta)
Spanish: pedante (es)

being finicky with language

Chinese:
Mandarin: 摳字眼 (zh), 抠字眼 (zh) ‎(kōuzìyǎn), 鑽牛角尖 (zh), 钻牛角尖 (zh) ‎(zuānniújiǎojiān)
Czech: pedantský (cs) f, pedantický m, slovíčkářský (cs) m
Finnish: pedanttinen, sanatarkka, kirjaimellinen (fi)

French: pointilleux (fr)
Greek: σχολαστικός (el) ‎(scholastikós)

Anagrams

pentadic