finicky

adj

Etymology: From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.

1. Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.

   “My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right.”

   “She has a finicky baby that's hard to feed.”

2. Demanding; requiring above-normal care.

   “The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.”

   “Instead of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cream Cheese Pie Crust from her addictingly finicky The Pie and Pastry Bible, I decided to make her Sour Cream Crust.”