pickier; pickiest
: very careful or too careful about choosing or accepting things : fussy, choosy
a picky eater
Because pen collectors are a picky lot, and some antiques dealers who are not in the pen business can overlook the details of condition, there is occasional friction.—
Bill Holland
Bill HollandWith rising ticket prices and new competition from cable TV, cost-conscious families may be pickier about the movies they choose to see.—David Ansen and Martin Kasindorf
David Ansen and Martin Kasindorf
pickiness
noun
Taylor mocks Zavala for the size of his extended Mexican family, their endless chatter and the frequency of their quinceaneras. Zavala ribs Taylor for his white-person pickiness about artisanal coffee and marriage.
—Belinda Luscombe
Belinda Luscombe
Now jobless and forced to live with five housemates in San Jose, Calif., she comes away from every job interview discouraged by employers' pickiness.
—Daniel McGinn
Daniel McGinn
Synonyms
Examples of picky in a Sentence
a picky cat who would only eat one particular kind of food, and only if it was served in his special dish
she's picky, but she always finds the best quality in fresh meat and fish
Recent Examples on the Web
Having a family of nine means sometimes preparing meals in large quantities is necessary, and being a picky eater isn’t really an option.
—Katie Mannion, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
African violets aren’t that picky about temperature, but they should be sheltered from drafty windows, air conditioning units, and heaters.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2025
Some children are allergic to eggs, some kids follow a vegan diet, and some are simply picky eaters.
—Jillian Pretzel, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Then there are cautionary tales like the one in which a boy gets his fingers cut off for being a picky eater—stories about cause and effect, separation from loved ones, stealing, and death.
—Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for picky 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Katie Mannion, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
African violets aren’t that picky about temperature, but they should be sheltered from drafty windows, air conditioning units, and heaters.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2025
Some children are allergic to eggs, some kids follow a vegan diet, and some are simply picky eaters.
—Jillian Pretzel, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Then there are cautionary tales like the one in which a boy gets his fingers cut off for being a picky eater—stories about cause and effect, separation from loved ones, stealing, and death.
—Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for picky
Dictionary Entries Near picky
Cite this Entry
“Picky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picky. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share