niggly

niggle +‎ -y

• Rhymes: -ɪɡəli

niggly (comparative more niggly, superlative most niggly)

1. bad-tempered, especially about trivial details.
2. trivial, insignificant
   • 2003, Michael Morpurgo - Kensuke's Kingdom page 5

     They'd argue a lot, about little niggly things — and they had never been like that.

   • 1994, Douglas R. Graves - Life Drawing in Charcoal page 153

     You soon discover there isn't time (nor is there any need) to put in the niggly details. The essence of the pose is its attitude or action and a hint of the model.

3. pernickety, paying too much attention to small details.
   • 2003, Michael Palin - Sahara page 16

     Now things are less confrontational but just as niggly. The Spanish examine drivers' papers with elaborate care, causing huge traffic jams