Word page
A bickerer is someone who quarrels in a petty, nagging, back-and-forth way. It is a useful little character word for people who seem allergic to a peaceful conversation.
A person who argues pettily or habitually over small matters. A bickerer is someone who quarrels in a petty, nagging, back-and-forth way. It is a useful little character word for people who seem allergic to a peaceful conversation.
Bickerer feels absurd because it is so neat and tidy for such an annoying habit. The word sounds almost cheerful, which makes the behavior feel even pettier.
The noun comes directly from bicker, a longstanding English verb for squabbling or arguing over trifles. The agent ending makes it a label for a type of person rather than a single act.
Occasionally, especially in character sketches and commentary.
Use bickerer when you want to describe a person defined by petty argument.
quarreler, squabbler, nag, arguer
peacemaker, mediator, listener
