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pedantic

/pəˈdæntɪk/
/pəˈdæntɪk/
IPA guide

There's nothing wrong with focusing on the details, but someone who is pedantic makes a big display of knowing obscure facts and details.

Pedantic means "like a pedant," someone who's too concerned with literal accuracy or formality. It's a negative term that implies someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a tiresome way. You don't want to go antique-shopping with a pedantic friend, who will use the opportunity to bore you with his in-depth knowledge of 18th-century porcelain kitty-litter boxes.

Definitions of pedantic
  1. adjective
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects
    synonyms: academic, donnish, inkhorn
    scholarly
    characteristic of scholars or scholarship
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘pedantic'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Commonly confused words

didactic / pedantic

Both words relate to teaching, but didactic teaches a lesson and pedantic just shows off the facts.

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