pedantic
overly concerned with minor learning details
Root
- paid / ped: child, education
Other words with the paid / ped root
Pedantic is school-learning gone sour: the teacherly impulse shrinks into fussing over tiny details.
His pedantic correction of one comma made everyone forget the main argument.
Pedantic belongs near the education family, but the tone has shifted. It is not simply teaching; it is teaching energy turned stiff, showy, and annoyingly exact.