pedant
2 synonyms and 1 antonym for pedant, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Someone who insists on strict, minor points of language and shows off their knowledge in a boring way.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
Someone who insists on strict, minor points of language and shows off their knowledge in a boring way.
2. noun
Someone who cares too much about small, unimportant details of correctness.
Opposites
Etymology
Came from Middle French pedant, pedante, from Italian pedante (“a teacher, schoolmaster, pedant”), which was associated with the unrelated Italian pedagogo (“teacher, pedagogue”). Compare French pédant.
Full origin of pedant →