Are you pedantic? What is a pedant? - Learn the meaning of English words

Let's face it, sometimes people can be very annoying,

especially when they are picking small faults in the details of what you are doing or saying.

This type of person will often point out something that is not entirely correct, or is in some way flawed.

These corrections are often small and might even be viewed as insignificant.

This person will also focus on the small details of something rather than the overall view.

Today's English word perfectly describes this type of behavior.

The word is ‘pedantic’.

The word pedantic is an adjective that describes the appearance of the behavior

of over analyzing or scrutinizing something to a degree that is more than required.

A pedantic person will go into too much detail, or obsess over small details contained within something.

A tiny thing, such as a minor mistake or a slight inaccuracy, will be pointed out and discussed in great detail.

A pedantic person will look for things that are not quite right.

A small error in the description of an historical event, or a misquote of a well-known poem, might lead to a correction being made.

A pedantic person will point out the mistake and correct it.

The noun form of pedantic is ‘pedant’.

A pedant is someone who over analyzes the details of something.

They are often pedantic.

Scholars or experts in their field might be pedantic and will often correct others around them.

It is easy to confuse a pedant with a perfectionist.

The perfectionist strives for the best,

while a pedant will look for faults and will fuss about small details that are, to them, incorrect.

A pedantic person might be described as a nit picker, fussy, overzealous, fastidious, over critical, a pedantic person

A pedantic person can be annoying to be around, especially when they are using their own knowledge of something to embarrass or humiliate others.

A pedantic person might be described as pompous, arrogant, a ‘know-it-all’, supercilious, or a big head.