'Hairsplitting' definitions:
Definition of 'hairsplitting'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Developed in excessively fine detail; "finespun distinctions" [syn: finespun, hairsplitting]
noun
Making too fine distinctions of little importance; "they didn't take his hairsplitting seriously" [syn: hairsplitting, word-splitting]
Definition of 'Hairsplitting'
From: GCIDE
- Hairsplitting \Hair"split`ting\ (-t[i^]ng), a. Making excessively fine or trivial distinctions in reasoning; overly subtle. -- n. The act or practice of making trivial distinctions. [1913 Webster]
- The ancient hairsplitting technicalities of special pleading. --Charles Sumner. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'hairsplitting'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- adverse criticism,
- animadversion,
- aspersion,
- bad notices,
- bad press,
- bickering,
- boggling,
- captious,
- captiousness,
- carping,
- cavil,
- caviling,
- censoriousness,
- chicane,
- chicanery,
- choplogic,
- contradistinction,
- critical,
- criticism,
- cynical,
- delicate,
- demarcation,
- differentiation,
- distinction,
- distinctiveness,
- distinguishment,
- division,
- dodging,
- equivocation,
- equivocatory,
- evasion,
- evasive,
- exception,
- faultfinding,
- fencing,
- finespun,
- flak,
- hairline,
- hedging,
- hit,
- home thrust,
- hostile criticism,
- hypercritical,
- hypercriticalness,
- hypercriticism,
- hypersensitive,
- hypersensitivity,
- imputation,
- knock,
- logic-chopping,
- microscopic distinction,
- morbid sensibility,
- morbidly sensitive,
- nagging,
- nice,
- nice distinction,
- niggle,
- niggling,
- nit,
- nit-picking,
- nuance,
- obloquy,
- overconscientious,
- overconscientiousness,
- overcritical,
- overcriticalness,
- overfastidious,
- overfastidiousness,
- overmeticulous,
- overmeticulousness,
- overnice,
- overniceness,
- overnicety,
- overparticular,
- overparticularity,
- overprecise,
- overrefined,
- overrefinement,
- overscrupulous,
- overscrupulousness,
- oversensitive,
- oversensitivity,
- oversqueamish,
- oversqueamishness,
- paltering,
- parrying,
- pestering,
- pettifoggery,
- pettifogging,
- petty,
- picayune,
- prevarication,
- priggishness,
- pussyfooting,
- quibble,
- quibbling,
- rap,
- refined,
- reflection,
- reproachfulness,
- segregation,
- separation,
- shade of difference,
- shifting,
- shuffling,
- sidestepping,
- slam,
- stricture,
- subterfuge,
- subtle,
- subtle distinction,
- swipe,
- taking exception,
- tergiversation,
- trichoschistic,
- trichoschistism,
- trifling,
- trivial,
- ultracritical