What does this word Pedantic means? Why is being pedantic a bad thing?

Question

I cant understand the dictionary definitions can you break it down for me.

One who is focused on book learning, how is that a bad thing?

What's pedantic mean(please define in your own words)?

Please tell me why this is a bad thing?

Answer 1

Pedantic means unimaginative. The book learning definition indicates that a person has only the information given to him by others, but has not correlated it to his own understanding. He is smart, but has no originality, no imagination.

In a society where conformity and knowledge are valued, pedantic would be a good thing. In a society where creativity and spontaneous expression are valued, it's a very bad thing and often used as a rather vicious insult.

Answer 2

Pedantic Meaning

Answer 3

Pedantic Definition

Answer 4

Dictionary.com:

1. ostentatious in one's learning.
2. overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching

Pedantic is defined as number one above and number 2 above on dictionary.com. First of all, where did you hear it was a bad thing? I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just curious.

Being ostentatious is bad because according to dictionary.com's definition, it's for the sole purpose of impressing others, therefore someone who is concerned with learning only for that purpose is not doing it for the sake of learning. For the 2nd definition, this is comparable to someone with OCD, someone who cares too much about the details, this can be either a good thing or bad thing but the underlying hint here is for things of a small importance.

Answer 5

Pedantic has a couple of definitions. The first one is going by the rules; the second one is like a pedant, overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning; being showy of one’s knowledge, often in a boring manner

In other word a "know it all" type of person - annoying.

Answer 6

Pedantic's pejorative meaning is: marked by a narrow, often tiresome focus on or display of learning and especially its trivial aspects: a pedantic writing style; an academic insistence on precision; a bookish vocabulary; donnish refinement of speech; scholastic and excessively subtle reasoning.

Basically means anal-retentive and dull, or acting like you da sh*t, intellectually

Answer 7

well, this word is close to my heart as my husband calls me it all the time! I insist that he "dots the i's and crosses the t's" when he tells me about something when i know exactly what he means. If he uses bad grammar i pick him up on it when it doesn't really matter. So that is pedantic....or should i say, I AM PEDANTIC!

Answer 8

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I looked over the Merriam Webster definition again. It's not just one who is focused on book learning, but one who is showy or ostentatious about it. For instance, having wealth is not a bad thing in and of itself, but showing it off to others for your own vainglory is something different. Having high political power is not a bad thing alone, but if you use the power to intimidate people or to impress people about yourself, that's is different. So "pedantic"...picture some geography professor at a party, trying to impress other attendees by lengthy dissertations on his knowledge of the world...whether they are interested or not. Hope this is helpful...(I'm not ostentatiously learned on books)

Answer 9

It ain't. A pedantic takes a very thorough if sometimes complicated approach to life and actions.

Answer 10

In common usage, it means being a know-it-all who presumes to teach others who weren't looking for an education. Someone who is pedantic puts him/herself above others and shares (often) dull and excessive information that no one was really asking for. People who do this can be annoying.