Hair-splitting

/hˈeəsplˈɪtɪŋ/

/hˈɛɹsplˈɪɾɪŋ/

[noun]

Hair-splitting

[NOUN]

‌the act of making petty distinctions or arguing about insignificant details and differences

Examples

1. Socrates’ method of relentless hair-splitting paved the way for other historical gadflies, like Martin Luther King, to be vocal critics of their own political system.

2. Is the kind of hair-splitting that might make people dislike you, but if we allow the term to be diluted and diminished, we are only helping the gaslighting process.