petty / nitpicky
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nitpicky
Describing a person or their behavior when they pay excessive attention to unimportant details and judge mistakes harshly. This is often perceived as negative or pedantic.
Mein Chef ist so kleinlich, er korrigiert jeden Tippfehler in internen E-Mails.
My boss is so nitpicky; he corrects every typo in internal emails.
The word is derived from 'klein' (small). A 'kleinliche' (petty/nitpicky) person focuses excessively on small, unimportant things, whether details or amounts of money.
Wegen eines einzigen Fehlers so eine Szene zu machen, ist wirklich kleinlich.
Making such a scene over a single mistake is really petty.
The adjective is very often used as a reproach or as a request in the imperative. The expression 'Sei nicht so kleinlich!' (Don't be so petty!) is a typical everyday phrase.
Sei doch nicht so kleinlich und leih mir die zwei Euro!
Don't be so petty and lend me the two euros!
You can recognize this meaning from contexts involving rules, mistakes, and precision. It often has to do with work, corrections, or compliance with regulations.
Er ist ein sehr kleinlicher Vorgesetzter, der jeden Arbeitsschritt kontrolliert.
He is a very nitpicky supervisor who checks every step of the work.
In this meaning, it is about a lack of generosity, often in relation to money or sharing things. The context is usually a social or private situation.
Er ist zu kleinlich, um im Restaurant Trinkgeld zu geben.
He is too petty to leave a tip at the restaurant.
anal
'anal' and 'kleinlich' can both describe a person who is overly precise or bothered by small things. 'kleinlich' is the normal everyday word for this: it means that someone pays too much attention to details or is not generous. 'anal' originally comes from medicine and psychoanalysis and is sometimes used colloquially in a similar way, but it can quickly sound crude, mocking, or insulting. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with excessive precision. In most normal situations, 'kleinlich' is more natural and safer.
Er wirkt kleinlich, weil er sich über jeden kleinen Fehler beschwert.
He comes across as nitpicky because he complains about every little mistake.
Sei nicht so anal wegen der Reihenfolge der Bücher.
Don't be so anal about the order of the books.