high-maintenance en · ADJ
Etymology
According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the figurative sense was popularized by the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally....
Meanings
- (of a system) Requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down.
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(derogatory, figuratively, of a person) Requiring a lot of attention or reassurance; emotionally needy
There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
1989, Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally... (motion picture), spoken by Harry Burns (Billy Crystal):He has this incredibly high-maintenance girlfriend; if he doesn't tell her that he loves her every five minutes, she tends to break down into hysterical depressive weepy fits.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most high-maintenance | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more high-maintenance | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Relateds
brittle · finicky · temperamental
Translations (3)
ru тре́бующий постоя́нного ухо́да (requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down) · hu sok odafigyelést/törődést igénylő ((of a person) requiring a lot of attention or reassurance; emotionally needy) · hu sok törődést igénylő (requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down)