pedantry
pedantry — noun
1. the tendency to treat minor rules and tiny details as far more important than th
the tendency to treat minor rules and tiny details as far more important than they really are, often annoying other people or slowing down real work
Diego's pedantry about citation styles slowed down the entire research project.
pedantry about [topic]
The librarian's pedantry over returning books to the exact shelf spot frustrated the student volunteers.
pedantry over [minor procedural detail]
Ritu rolled her eyes at the grammar guide's pedantry over rules no real writer follows.
Rachel called the meeting pointless because of the committee's pedantry about every sentence's wording.
- nitpicking
informal; focusing on very small faults or mistakes, often in a way that seems unfair
- hair-splitting
informal; arguing about very small differences that do not really matter
- fussiness
less harsh; a general tendency to be too particular about small things, not necessarily with a critical or academic tone
- pragmatism
a practical approach that cares about results rather than strict rules
- flexibility
willingness to change or accept differences without insisting on absolute correctness
文法句型
uncountable noun
often disapproving
用法筆記
Pedantry is always uncountable and carries a negative judgement. It is typically used to criticise someone for focusing on trivial rules or minor details instead of the larger, more important aspects of a task. Common modifying adjectives include petty, sheer, mere, and pointless.