Stickler

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈstɪk.lə/

Definitions

1. A person who insists on strict adherence to rules, standards, or principles and is unwilling to accept deviation from them
2. Someone who insists on following rules or standards exactly, refusing to allow any exceptions
3. An individual who requires precise compliance with regulations or principles and is not easily satisfied with leniency

Etymology: The judges at Cornish wrestling matches once carried sticks, and the word "stickler" traces back to them. Its ancestor in Middle English was "stighteler" or "stytelere," a term for the official who settled disputes and kept the contest orderly. The stick was a visible badge of that authority, and in the older tradition the judge originally held a sword, later a swordstick, before the simpler staff became standard. The word is built from "stickle," meaning to intervene or to insist on a point in a contest or quarrel, with the ending "-er" marking the person who does it. Over time the sense shifted from the referee who enforced the rules of the bout to anyone who insists on exact observance of rules or principles, the sort of person who will not let a small deviation pass.

Synonyms: pedant, nitpicker, purist, perfectionist, stickler for detail

Antonyms: slacker, carefree person, nonchalant, procrastinator, loosey-goosey