Pedantry is an occupational hazard for someone in my profession(s), so I’ve been trying to nail down the salient trait(s) of a pedant, mostly in order to watch for them in myself.
A few stabs at the target:
A pedant is someone whose acquisition of knowledge has impeded their ability to perceive and/or to reason.
A pedant is someone whose desire to prove someone wrong exceeds their desire to understand what that person is saying.
A pedant is someone whose impulse to educate has impaired their ability to learn or understand.
A pedant is someone who weaponizes knowledge in an attempt to achieve social dominance.
