gnat-strain

verb

To fuss or give undue importance to trivial things, often to the exclusion of truly significant issues.

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Meanings

verbgnat-strain (third-person singular simple present gnat-strains, present participle gnat-straining, simple past and past participle gnat-strained)

present singular third person gnat-strains · participle present gnat-straining · participle past gnat-strained · past gnat-strained

  1. To fuss or give undue importance to trivial things, often to the exclusion of truly significant issues.

Origin

Back-formation from gnat-strainer or gnat-straining.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

gnat-strain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat-strain

MLA

“gnat-strain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat-strain. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gnat-strain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat-strain.

Source: gnat-strain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.