Meanings
nounsticklerism (uncountable)
- derogatoryuncountableThe behaviour of a stickler; inflexible adherence to rules.
“We, the intellectually curious, may soon find ourselves trapped in a pen, fenced in by rule-bound sticklerism and overzealous concern for our personal safety, unless we exercise our civil liberties and our curiosity,” he declaims.
2009 June 10, Dwight Garner, “For Those Who Like Danger, the Home Book of Things Not to Try at Home”, in New York TimesSynonyms: punctiliousness, fascism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe behaviour of a stickler; inflexible adherence to rules.
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APA
sticklerism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sticklerism
MLA
“sticklerism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sticklerism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sticklerism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sticklerism.
Source: sticklerism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.