stingy

[AlmostEnglish]

Ok, so my word of the day is "stingy". I've heard it used in a way I don't think it's meant to be used, but also I don't know how it could be replaced in such a situation.
Can you use it to describe a person who focuses too much on the details that are wrong when the big picture is ok?

Here's what usually happens: you say something and a person says you're wrong, but you only made a tiny mistake. You do something and the person complains it wasn't done well- again you only overlooked a minor detail. So essentially the person always has a problem and has to point it out at any possible occasion. I'm pretty sure we all know this kind of people; not sure how to explain it better, though. Question: can you call that person "stingy"? If not, what's the word?

I have asked a friend and all he said is that would be a wife... Anybody with a better idea?

 

[ewie]

Picky was the first thing that came to my mind, AE.

No, I wouldn't ever call that stingy.

 

[JustKate]

Picky is very good. If you prefer a few more syllables - and sometimes I do - nitpicky or persnickety would work as well (at least in AmE). Stingy won't work, though it is a cool word. It means "unwilling to give or spend," so that isn't applicable.

 

[ewie]

Note that AE persnickety is pernickety in BE

 

[AlmostEnglish]

Wow, thanks a lot, guys! That really helps. I've been looking for the right word for a looong time now, never knew how to find it and then the stingy thing really confused me. Thank you

 

[Beryl from Northallerton]

Inasmuch as the person is being uncharitable or niggardly, it's conceivable that they're (being) stingy, but as we've seen, 'stinginess' strongly connotes with ideas of thrift and miserliness.