Pedantry

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛd.ən.tɹi/

Definitions

1. A preoccupation with trivial details and strict adherence to rules often resulting in ostentatious displays of knowledge leads to unnecessary formalism in less significant matters
2. An overemphasis on small or insignificant rules and facts, often showing off one's learning in a way that can be annoying or unnecessary
3. A tendency to focus too much on minor details and formalities, demonstrating knowledge in a way that might appear overly fussy or nitpicky

Etymology: Pedantry grew out of "pedant," a word that began as a schoolmaster's title. Italian "pedante" was a teacher, and the sense of a fussy, showy bookman came later, when schoolmasters were known for drilling students on grammar and minute points of learning. The suffix "-ry" was added to form the noun for that behaviour, and the Italian "pedanteria" carried the same sense into English through the Italian-influenced vocabulary of the period. French "pédanterie" follows the same pattern. The word's history is therefore a story about a profession whose habits came to be mocked. The teacher's job of insisting on exactness was turned into a charge against anyone who displayed that exactness too eagerly, and "pedantry" names that excess rather than the learning itself.

Synonyms: meticulousness, nitpicking

Antonyms: generosity, broad-mindedness