fastidious en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin fastīdiōsus (“passive: that feels disgust, disdainful, scornful, fastidious; active: that causes disgust, disgusting, loathsome”), from fastīdium (“a loathing, aversion, disgust, niceness of taste, daintiness, etc.”), perhaps for *fastutidium, from fastus (“disdain, haughtiness, arrogance, disgust”) + taedium (“disgust”). Cf. French fastidieux.
Meanings
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Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.
His fastidious nature had been evident in his careful snipping of a customer's hair and now he guided his pencil with the same adroitness.
2008, Robert Fisher, Memory Road:He had at first tried to clean up as they ate, his fastidious nature kicking in, but Chris had told him to just stop, he was blocking the TV.
2003, Lynsay Sands, Single White Vampire:As she cleaned the room daily, she knew it was against his fastidious nature to bring or have food in his room.
2004, Maria Osborne Perr, Ravished Wings:
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Overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness.
"If you are fastidious, clean previously used pots inside and out; if not, merely clean the outside (unless you are battling a pest infestation; then the inside will need scrubbing as well)."
2010, Debra Lee Baldwin, Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy-Care ...:
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Difficult to please; quick to find fault.
You're too fastidious, and too indolent, and too rich.
1908, Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady (The Novels and Tales of Henry James), New York edition, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC; republished as The Portrait of a Lady (EBook #283), United States: Project Gutenberg, 1 September 2001:"It's burn[t], M'sieur," said Marie Louise, politely, but decidedly, to the utter confusion of Mr. Billy, who was as mortified as could be at the failure of his dinner to please his fastidious little visitor.
1897, Kate Chopin, The Lilies:
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(of a microorganism) Having precise requirements for nutrition and environment (chemical and physical); especially, being difficult to culture because of those requirements.
fastidious organism
fastidious species
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more fastidious | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most fastidious | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
careless · unfastidious · unfussy · nonfastidious · unconscientious · noncritical · unmeticulous · sloppy · uncritical
Deriveds
overfastidious · fastidity · unfastidious · fastidious organism · nonfastidious · fastidiously · fastidiousness · ultrafastidious · hyperfastidious
Relateds
prissy · pedant · methodical · finicky
Synonyms
overcritical · lily-handed · nitty · finickity · finicking · hypercritical · meticulous · finicky · fussy · fussy · dainty · pernickety · exacting · niggly · anal-retentive · fastidious · persnickety · meticulous · nitpickish · particular · conscientious · overscrupulous · choosy · pernickety · exacting · picky · pedantic · nit-picky · finical · niggly · finikin
Translations (72)
de pingelig (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de etepetete (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · sv petnoga (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de zimperlich (difficult to please) · ro mofturos (difficult to please) · de eigen (difficult to please) · la fastidiosus (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fi turhantarkka (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · it precisino (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · pt exigente (difficult to please) · az vasvası (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · uk ретельний (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · cmn 難取悅的 /难取悦的 (difficult to please) · es maniático de/con/por la limpieza (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · az vasvası (difficult to please) · bg гнуслив (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · es descontentadizo (difficult to please) · ru прихотли́вый (difficult to please) · tr titiz (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · oc manhac (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · nl veeleisend (difficult to please) · pl wybredny (difficult to please) · mi whakautiuti (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de wählerisch (difficult to please) · es difícil de complacer (difficult to please) · ja 好みのむずかしい (difficult to please) · tr güçbeğenir (difficult to please) · ro cusurgiu (difficult to please) · cs úzkostlivý (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · sv kinkig (difficult to please) · it meticoloso (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · oc netejaire (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · tr müşkülpesent (difficult to please) · bg капризен (difficult to please) · bg чистофайник (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fr méticuleux (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de anspruchsvoll (difficult to please) · ru брезгли́вый (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · ota تتیز (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · da kræsen (difficult to please) · bg изтънчен (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · es escolimoso (difficult to please) · mi mōkinokino (difficult to please) · uk прискіпливий (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de übergenau (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fi pikkutarkka (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · oc exigent (difficult to please) · ja 気難しい (difficult to please) · de mäkelig (difficult to please) · de penibel (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de kleinlich (difficult to please) · pl pedantyczny (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fr exigeant (difficult to please) · oc maniac (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · sv petig (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · de heikel (difficult to please) · bg more appropriate would be the nouns чистник (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fi vaativa (difficult to please) · oc manhagós (difficult to please) · uk скрупульозний (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · sv kräsen (difficult to please) · uk вередливий (difficult to please) · fi nirppanokkainen (difficult to please) · es malcontentadizo (difficult to please) · oc manhac (difficult to please) · oc refastinhós (difficult to please) · th เอาใจยาก (difficult to please) · pdt krakjt (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · fi nirso (difficult to please) · oc manhagós (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · eo minuciosa (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness) · nl scrupuleus (overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness)