gnat-straining

noun

Fuss or importance placed on trivial things, to the exclusion of more significant matters.

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Meanings

noungnat-straining (uncountable)
  1. uncountableFuss or importance placed on trivial things, to the exclusion of more significant matters.

    Neither is it the case that gnat-straining leads to camel swallowing, nor tithe-paying to neglect of justice, mercy and faith.

    1995, Kenneth G. C. Newport, The Sources and Sitz Im Leben of Matthew 23, page 141

Origin

From gnat + straining.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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