Thesaurus results for PETTIFOGGER

pettifogger

noun

Definition of pettifogger

as in lawyer

Related Words

Relevance

as in quibbler

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pettifogger For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pettifogger

Noun

Lawyers for the estate countered Monday that SAPS, as a corporate defendant, could not represent itself and was required to appear through a lawyer.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Roberts later pressed Kevin Russell, a lawyer for the Boulder officials, on the practical implications of siding with his position.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of lawyer

Noun

Among Steinbeck purists, giving Cathy a trauma backstory has proven a controversial move — one that just might turn the story’s main moral on its head.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the New York bagel purists will convince Atlantans to embrace the soft interior and chewy exterior of an untoasted New York bagel.

— Sheeka Sanahori, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of purist

Noun

The despicable Lindsay Clancy lawyer, using a repulsive alternative defense, shows the egregious chutzpah some shysters resort to to get a client off.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
The filmmaker has likened his perspective in this project to that of Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wizard of Oz, alert to the shuffling feet beneath the curtain rather than being bamboozled by the shyster title character’s techno showmanship.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of shyster

Noun

Jamal, who co-founded the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, which helps immigrants find pro bono attorneys, also helped retain a lawyer for the Somali teenager charged with piracy in the infamous Captain Richard Phillips hostage-taking.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Federal government attorneys say the lawsuits are a backdoor way to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions and amount to an unconstitutional power grab.

— LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of attorney

Browse Nearby Words

petticoat

pettifogger

pettifoggers

See all Nearby Words

Articles Related to pettifogger

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pettifogger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pettifogger. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pettifogger

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Not Nice and Too Nice: A Collection of...

8 More Words for Inept People

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

galore

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes