picky
/ˈpɪki/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.34 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Fussy; particular; demanding to have things just right.
adj
Of food or a meal: consisting of various small items from which the diner can pick and choose.
British usage; Colloquial
Example Sentences
- "I am very picky about the way my kitchen is laid out."
- "Most of the pickiest children were actually in the middle weight group, though a few were underweight and a few were overweight."
- "Singletons have become 'pickier' about their potential partners following the pandemic, one dating expert has claimed - insisting they are now even more concerned about the 'pink flags' that could lead to 'red flag scenarios'."
- "picky bits"
- "picky tea"
- "[…] a picky meal of bean-sprouts and humous […]"
Etymology
Etymology tree English pick Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English picky From pick + -y.
Usage
- British usage
- Colloquial
- Informal