hairsplitting

Thân thiện

The lawyer's hairsplitting argument focused on a minor clause in the contract.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Overly concerned with minute details or distinctions: Characterized by making excessively fine or trivial distinctions, especially in argument or reasoning.

2. Noun:

   • The act of making excessively fine or trivial distinctions: The practice of arguing about or focusing on very small, often unimportant, differences.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The debate devolved into a hairsplitting argument about the precise wording of the clause.
  • His hairsplitting analysis of the poem missed its overall emotional impact.

• Noun:

  • The lawyer's hairsplitting over the contract's definitions delayed the signing for hours.
  • We need practical solutions, not semantic hairsplitting.

Advanced Usage

• "To engage in hairsplitting": To participate in making overly fine distinctions.
  • The philosopher was known to engage in hairsplitting that fascinated his students but frustrated his colleagues.

Variants and Related Words

• Hairsplitter (noun): A person who makes excessively fine distinctions.
  • He was dismissed as a mere hairsplitter who loved debate for its own sake.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Nitpicking, quibbling, overnice, finespun.
• Noun: Quibbling, caviling, nitpicking, sophistry.

Related Idioms

• "To split hairs": To make small and unnecessary distinctions. (This is the verbal phrase from which "hairsplitting" is derived).
  • Arguing about whether it happened at 3:01 or 3:02 is just splitting hairs; the important thing is that it happened.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. developed in excessively fine detail
   • finespun distinctions

Noun

1. making too fine distinctions of little importance
   • they didn't take his hairsplitting seriously

Từ đồng nghĩa

• finespun
• word-splitting