Finicky

//ˈfɪnɪki// adj, slang

adj, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details. informal

    "My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right."

  2. 2
    Demanding; requiring above-normal care. informal

    "The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather."

Adjective
  1. 1
    exacting especially about details wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
fastidiousfinicalexactingfastidiousfussymeticulous

Example

More examples

"I just came back from replacing the TV; it was acting really finicky."

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.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.