1
as in scholarly
marked by or given to showing knowledge in a showy way
The writing was overly complex and pedantic, which made it nearly impossible to understand for anyone but a specialist. The speech was thoroughly researched and well structured, but too pedantic to appeal to a general audience.
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2
as in boring
causing weariness or lack of interest
I found the author's writing informative but dreadfully pedantic.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pedantic
Newsweek Sports quoted Bruckheimer's statements, highlighting Hamilton's pedantic approach while filming.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Nelis renders the professor a pompous and pedantic twit but not a heartless one.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
The inspiring leader is a big-picture optimist while the infuriating leader a pedantic pessimist.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
The point was not the pedantic collection of information.
—Sheila Heti, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Nelis renders the professor a pompous and pedantic twit but not a heartless one.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
The inspiring leader is a big-picture optimist while the infuriating leader a pedantic pessimist.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
The point was not the pedantic collection of information.
—Sheila Heti, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pedantic
Adjective
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This family journey deeply shaped Fisher’s lifelong scholarly drive to chronicle the struggles and the triumphs of Black communities in the American West.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
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Yet this has not discouraged a number of notable attempts to coerce emoji into the shape of a language, scholarly consensus be damned.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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The main reason Jacksonville is so boring, FinanceBuzz found, is that much of its population is thinly scattered across the city.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
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GoPro has also dropped a white version and a forest green version if black is too boring for you.—
Scott Gilbertson,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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When the system supports individuals, particularly those who may not be financially literate enough to override their subconscious trauma responses, the outcomes are significantly more positive.—
Alejandra Rojas,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Most Americans don't pass this financial literacy quiz In a financially literate society, the quizmasters say, most of us would know most of the answers.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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Dickinson led off the semifinal game and roped a double off his metal bat that Smith said woke him up from a long, tiring day.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
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After a tiring day walking around the parks, the most relaxing, soothing and healing experience is to sit out on the decks of the treehouse.—
Kissa Castaneda,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Operation Bounce House follows Oliver Lewis, a colonist on the planet New Sonora, who leads a simple life on his family ranch, playing with his band and tending to his family's selection of intelligent agriculture bots.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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Although not specifically marketed as a pet camera, the Eufy E220 is a budget-friendly indoor home security camera packed with typically more high-end features, including remote pan and tilt, sharp 2K video footage, automatic motion tracking, and intelligent motion and sound detection.—
Cierra Cowan July 11,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Generally, names as a kind of artist name are quite dull nowadays anyway.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 July 2025
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Sometimes, an artist who is too long viewed as an outsider to Music City's style and sound will see the shine of the bright lights grow dull on their art.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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This work bridges two worlds that have long existed apart: the tribal passion of soccer and the cerebral, curated realm of fine art.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
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But that was a fun element, to play both Spencer and Caleb as cerebral together.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Thankfully, Keller’s scripts aren’t as twee or didactic about this stuff as Lasso and Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence’s tend to be.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
4 June 2025
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Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pedantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pedantic. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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