Word-splitting (Noun)
Meaning
Making too fine distinctions of little importance; "they didn't take his hairsplitting seriously".
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- The professor's word-splitting about the definition of 'sustainable' caused frustration among the students who just wanted to discuss practical solutions.
- Her word-splitting about the nuances of social media terminology made the presentation feel overly pedantic.
- The politician's opponents accused him of word-splitting when he claimed that his previous statement had been taken out of context.
- The philosopher's tendency towards word-splitting made his lectures feel more like semantic debates than meaningful discussions.
- The team leader grew tired of the team member's word-splitting about the project's objectives and told him to focus on the bigger picture.