pernickety
Valid in Scrabble
- Scrabble points
- 21
- Words With Friends
- 23
- Letters
- 10
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Definition of pernickety
2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included
adj
-
(Commonwealth, Ireland, UK)Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.
“‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’”
See all 2 definitions Show less
adj
-
(Commonwealth, Ireland, UK)Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.
“‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’”
- Requiring attention to minor details.
Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Etymology
From Scots pernickety, persnickety, apparently from per- + nick (“a notch, mark, cutting retort”) + -et (“-ed”) + -y; equivalent to English per- + nick + -ety; literally, “marked up”, then “overly precise”. The alternative form persnickety, with s, may be due to substitution of Scots sneck (“a cut, notch”) for nick. Compare also Scots variants pernicked, pernicket, pirnicky, and pernicky.
Words you can make from pernickety
200+ playable · top: PICKNEY (18 pts)
Best play pickney 18 points8-letter words
3 words7-letter words
16 words6-letter words
51 words- PRICKY 17 pts
- PYKNIC 17 pts
- CRIKEY 15 pts
- PINKEY 15 pts
- RICKEY 15 pts
- TRICKY 15 pts
- PECKER 14 pts
- PICKER 14 pts
- PICKET 14 pts
- CREEPY 13 pts
- CREPEY 13 pts
- ECTYPE 13 pts
- PRICEY 13 pts
- NECKER 12 pts
- NICKER 12 pts
- PINKER 12 pts
- TICKER 12 pts
- NICETY 11 pts
- PINERY 11 pts
- PYRENE 11 pts
- PYRITE 11 pts
- RETYPE 11 pts
- TYPIER 11 pts
- INCEPT 10 pts
- PECTEN 10 pts
- PECTIN 10 pts
- PIECER 10 pts
- PIERCE 10 pts
- PINCER 10 pts
- PRINCE 10 pts
- RECEPT 10 pts
- RECIPE 10 pts
- REKNIT 10 pts
- TINKER 10 pts
- TRICEP 10 pts
- NITERY 9 pts
- CENTER 8 pts
- CENTRE 8 pts
- CERITE 8 pts
- CRETIN 8 pts
- ENTICE 8 pts
- PTERIN 8 pts
- RECENT 8 pts
- RECITE 8 pts
- REPENT 8 pts
- REPINE 8 pts
- TENREC 8 pts
- TIERCE 8 pts
- ENTIRE 6 pts
- RETINE 6 pts
- TRIENE 6 pts
5-letter words
67 words- PECKY 16 pts
- PICKY 16 pts
- PERKY 14 pts
- PINKY 14 pts
- PRICK 13 pts
- CREPY 12 pts
- CRYPT 12 pts
- KEYER 12 pts
- KYRIE 12 pts
- PRICY 12 pts
- PYRIC 12 pts
- REEKY 12 pts
- REKEY 12 pts
- TYPIC 12 pts
- CREEK 11 pts
- ICKER 11 pts
- KREEP 11 pts
- PEKIN 11 pts
- PIKER 11 pts
- PRINK 11 pts
- TRICK 11 pts
- PEERY 10 pts
- PIETY 10 pts
- PINEY 10 pts
- YINCE 10 pts
- CREEP 9 pts
- CREPE 9 pts
- CREPT 9 pts
- CRIPE 9 pts
- INKER 9 pts
- KENTE 9 pts
- KERNE 9 pts
- KITER 9 pts
- PENCE 9 pts
- PIECE 9 pts
- PRICE 9 pts
- REINK 9 pts
- TRIKE 9 pts
- ENTRY 8 pts
- EYRIE 8 pts
- TEENY 8 pts
- YENTE 8 pts
- CITER 7 pts
- ERECT 7 pts
- INEPT 7 pts
- NICER 7 pts
- NIECE 7 pts
- PETER 7 pts
- PREEN 7 pts
- PRINT 7 pts
- RECIT 7 pts
- RECTI 7 pts
- REPIN 7 pts
- RIPEN 7 pts
- TERCE 7 pts
- TRICE 7 pts
- TRIPE 7 pts
- ENTER 5 pts
- INERT 5 pts
- INTER 5 pts
- NITER 5 pts
- NITRE 5 pts
- RENTE 5 pts
- RETIE 5 pts
- TERNE 5 pts
- TREEN 5 pts
- TRINE 5 pts
4-letter words
62 words- ICKY 13 pts
- PECK 12 pts
- PICK 12 pts
- INKY 11 pts
- KYTE 11 pts
- KEEP 10 pts
- KEPI 10 pts
- KEPT 10 pts
- NECK 10 pts
- NICK 10 pts
- PEEK 10 pts
- PEKE 10 pts
- PERK 10 pts
- PIKE 10 pts
- PINK 10 pts
- CITY 9 pts
- PINY 9 pts
- CEPE 8 pts
- CRIP 8 pts
- EPIC 8 pts
- KEEN 8 pts
- KEET 8 pts
- KEIR 8 pts
- KENT 8 pts
- KERN 8 pts
- KIER 8 pts
- KINE 8 pts
- KIRN 8 pts
- KITE 8 pts
- KNEE 8 pts
- KNIT 8 pts
- PERC 8 pts
- PICE 8 pts
- EERY 7 pts
- EYEN 7 pts
- EYER 7 pts
- EYNE 7 pts
- EYRE 7 pts
- CENT 6 pts
- CERE 6 pts
- CERT 6 pts
- CETE 6 pts
- CINE 6 pts
- CIRE 6 pts
- CITE 6 pts
- CRIT 6 pts
- ETIC 6 pts
- NEEP 6 pts
- NICE 6 pts
- PEEN 6 pts
- PEER 6 pts
- PEIN 6 pts
- PENT 6 pts
- PERE 6 pts
- PERI 6 pts
- PERT 6 pts
- PIER 6 pts
- PINE 6 pts
- PINT 6 pts
- PIRN 6 pts
- ERNE 4 pts
- NITE 4 pts
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