pedantry
noun
ped·ant·ry
ˈpe-dᵊn-trē 
plural pedantries
1
: pedantic presentation or application of knowledge or learning
2
: an instance of pedantry
Examples of pedantry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are some downsides besides pedantry about historical accuracy, too.
—
Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
Her disbelief at bureacratic pedantry reaches a fever pitch as her desperation increases, resulting in a scene reminiscent of Judy Hopps and Flash the Sloth at the DMV in Zootopia.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Even within watch-collecting circles, the fandom expressed by devotees of Omega’s Speedmaster chronograph sets a high bar for both passion and pedantry.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024
The inflated pedantry of his style, all those technical-sounding terms and incantatory clauses in the service of a simple idea, seems practically comic, but Kushner presents it earnestly, without a hint of irony.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Effectively countering that technique probably requires some combination of quick thinking, verbal dexterity, brilliant stagecraft and (to avoid accusations of pedantry) humor.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
But pedantry and self-consciousness can wreck the pleasures of nostalgia.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
As always in Davis’s fiction, an almost imperceptible line divides pedantry from precision, enthusiasm from solipsism.
—Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2023
Eventually, the adrenaline of breaking news gave way to a distaste for transactional back-scratching and pedantry of congressional procedure.
—Kara Voght, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
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Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
Her disbelief at bureacratic pedantry reaches a fever pitch as her desperation increases, resulting in a scene reminiscent of Judy Hopps and Flash the Sloth at the DMV in Zootopia.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Even within watch-collecting circles, the fandom expressed by devotees of Omega’s Speedmaster chronograph sets a high bar for both passion and pedantry.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024
The inflated pedantry of his style, all those technical-sounding terms and incantatory clauses in the service of a simple idea, seems practically comic, but Kushner presents it earnestly, without a hint of irony.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Effectively countering that technique probably requires some combination of quick thinking, verbal dexterity, brilliant stagecraft and (to avoid accusations of pedantry) humor.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
But pedantry and self-consciousness can wreck the pleasures of nostalgia.
—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
As always in Davis’s fiction, an almost imperceptible line divides pedantry from precision, enthusiasm from solipsism.
—Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2023
Eventually, the adrenaline of breaking news gave way to a distaste for transactional back-scratching and pedantry of congressional procedure.
—Kara Voght, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pedantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedantry. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pedantry
noun
ped·ant·ry
ˈped-ᵊn-trē
plural pedantries
: dull and overly exact presentation of knowledge or learning
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