1
a
: one who is unimaginative or who unduly emphasizes minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge
b
: one who makes a show of knowledge
c
: a formalist or precisionist in teaching
2
obsolete
: a male schoolteacher
Examples of pedant in a Sentence
All too often, science fiction provokes the pedant in professional scientists, for whom a beautiful story can be ruined by a single petty error.
—
Jerry A. Coyne, New York Times Book Review, 10 Oct. 1999
A controversialist, crusty, critical, arrogant, a pedant, he was attacked by his contemporaries for sacrilege, impudence, temerity and presumption—among other imperfections.
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
This pioneer of the Age of the Sea, who deserves fame as an opener of the modern mind, has been caught in the cross fire of chauvinists, pedants, and ignorant but enthusiastic men of letters.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
A zealous pedant, Flaubert defended the accuracy of his historical novels with wearisome tenacity, as if accuracy could compensate for their lack of lived experience.
—James Atlas, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 1982
Jerry A. Coyne, New York Times Book Review, 10 Oct. 1999
A controversialist, crusty, critical, arrogant, a pedant, he was attacked by his contemporaries for sacrilege, impudence, temerity and presumption—among other imperfections.
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
This pioneer of the Age of the Sea, who deserves fame as an opener of the modern mind, has been caught in the cross fire of chauvinists, pedants, and ignorant but enthusiastic men of letters.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
A zealous pedant, Flaubert defended the accuracy of his historical novels with wearisome tenacity, as if accuracy could compensate for their lack of lived experience.
—James Atlas, New York Times Book Review, 17 Oct. 1982
Recent Examples on the Web
True, big global history is not for pedants and must be selective to remain accessible.
—Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
This Jet Ski Is Not a Jet Ski Incidentally, for the pedants out there (WIRED salutes you), technically this is not a jet ski, but a personal watercraft, or PWC.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
View More As knowledge of Greek has become more exotic—the mark of pedants, nerds, and graduates of expensive schools—capturing the barbarism of ancient Greek, and of the ancient Greeks themselves, has become harder.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2023
Want to annoy an investing pedant?
—Spencer Jakab, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2023
In a one-off release, Tiffany & Co. has transformed a CryptoPunks NFT (#3167) into a rose gold-and-enamel pedant for its owner, the brand’s vice president Alexandre Arnault.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2022
The highest-energy moment comes when Rob Brydon and David Mitchell have a pedant off about Jeremy Clarkson’s firing.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2022
WoodAllGood’s galaxy pedant is perfect for the person in your life who loves a necklace with a bit of shimmer and glow—and one that happens to reflect the stars and colors of the night sky.
—Fortune, 18 Nov. 2021
While its sister show Jeopardy is better known as a pedant's paradise (misspeaking or misspelling has long been known to sink contestants), every now and then Wheel of Fortune gets in on the action.
—Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2021
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Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
This Jet Ski Is Not a Jet Ski Incidentally, for the pedants out there (WIRED salutes you), technically this is not a jet ski, but a personal watercraft, or PWC.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
View More As knowledge of Greek has become more exotic—the mark of pedants, nerds, and graduates of expensive schools—capturing the barbarism of ancient Greek, and of the ancient Greeks themselves, has become harder.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2023
Want to annoy an investing pedant?
—Spencer Jakab, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2023
In a one-off release, Tiffany & Co. has transformed a CryptoPunks NFT (#3167) into a rose gold-and-enamel pedant for its owner, the brand’s vice president Alexandre Arnault.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2022
The highest-energy moment comes when Rob Brydon and David Mitchell have a pedant off about Jeremy Clarkson’s firing.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2022
WoodAllGood’s galaxy pedant is perfect for the person in your life who loves a necklace with a bit of shimmer and glow—and one that happens to reflect the stars and colors of the night sky.
—Fortune, 18 Nov. 2021
While its sister show Jeopardy is better known as a pedant's paradise (misspeaking or misspelling has long been known to sink contestants), every now and then Wheel of Fortune gets in on the action.
—Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Pedant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedant. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pedant
noun
ped·ant
ˈped-ᵊnt 
1
: a person who shows off his or her learning
2
: a dull and overly exact teacher
pedantic
adjective
pi-ˈdant-ik
pedantically
adverb
-i-k(ə-)lē
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