THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
pedantic
adjective
Overly concerned with minor details, rules, or displaying learning.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
A USEFUL DISTINCTION
Usage note
Pedantic usually criticizes excessive attention to small points. Academic study itself is not necessarily pedantic.
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Examples in context
The pedantic correction distracted from the main point of the discussion.
The discussion quickly turned pedantic as each participant tried to sound more learned than all the others.
1 more example
The next seminar included a deliberately didactic exercise designed to teach the difference between a claim and its supporting evidence. One participant became pedantic, interrupting the discussion to insist on a minor formatting rule that did not affect the argument.
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Related meanings
Related words can differ in tone and context; they are not always interchangeable.
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About this entry
This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.
Adapted from supplied vocabulary notes. Example written for WordCraft.
Source study sections: B, C, 1, 2, 12, 13, 19.
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