What does "pedantry" mean?
An excessive attention to detail or rules.
Pedantry
noun
noun ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An excessive attention to detail or rules.
- Grammar: pedantry is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: academicism, academism, bibliolatry, bibliomania.
- Useful contrasts: empathy, flexibility, open-mindedness.
- Usage evidence: Pedantry is properly the over-rating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to.
How to use "pedantry"
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- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pedantry" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 An excessive attention to detail or rules. countable, uncountable
"They had heard people call things pedantic, which they did not think were so ; for instance, a boy had once said that Harry himself was a pedant, for talking of the siege of Syracuse, and of the machines used there, because the boy knew nothing about them, and disliked reading. "Then you perceive," said his mother, "that the meaning of the word varies with the different degrees of knowledge of those who use it. I remember when it was thought pedantic for a woman to talk of some books, which are now the subject of common conversation. Sometimes old-fashioned learning, and sometimes useless learning, is called pedantry; and it is generally thought pedantic to produce any kind of learning that is so unusual, that it is not likely that the company is acquainted with it, or can be pleased by it. In short, pedantry may be said to be an ill-timed parade of knowledge.""
- 2 an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning wordnet
- 3 An excessive attention to detail or rules.; An instance of such behaviour. countable, uncountable
"I don’t want to listen to your pedantries anymore."
- 4 An overly ambitious display of learning. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Pedantry is properly the over-rating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pedantry"?
Common synonyms include: academicism, academism, bibliolatry, bibliomania, bluestockingism, book learning.
How do you use "pedantry" in a sentence?
Pedantry is properly the over-rating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to.
Etymology
From Italian pedanteria, equivalent to pedant + -ry. Compare also French pédanterie.