noun
adj
verb
adv

Textual thesaurus for "pick at"

(verb) belittle, disparage

express a negative opinion of

She disparaged her student's efforts


(verb) peck, peck at

eat like a bird

The anorexic girl just picks at her food


(verb) pluck at, pull at

pluck or pull at with the fingers

She picked nervously at the buttons of her blouse