Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

finicky

/ˈfɪnɪki/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.45 in modern English

Syllables: fin-ick-y
IPA: /ˈfɪnɪki/

19

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.

Informal

adj

Demanding; requiring above-normal care.

Informal

Example Sentences

"My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right."
"She has a finicky baby that's hard to feed."
"The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather."
"Instead of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cream Cheese Pie Crust from her addictingly finicky The Pie and Pastry Bible, I decided to make her Sour Cream Crust."

Etymology

From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

finickier (comparative) more finicky (comparative) finickiest (superlative) most finicky (superlative)

Derived Forms

finickily finickiness finickity unfinicky

Synonyms

fastidious fussy anal-retentive choosy conscientious dainty exacting finical finicking finickity finicky finikin

Questions

How do you pronounce finicky?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɪnɪki/.
What does finicky mean?: Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.
Where does finicky come from?: From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.

How to pronounce finicky

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “finicky”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfɪnɪki/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “finicky”.
Repeat and practice — Say “finicky” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.