Definition of fastidious
1 archaic : scornful
2a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please critics … so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates — Granville Hicksb : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care fastidious attention to detail — Robert Evettc : reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude fastidious workmanship
3 : having complex nutritional requirements fastidious microorganisms
fastidiously
adverbfastidiousness
nounPeople Are Reading
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Examples of fastidious in a Sentence
My mother had always been the most fastidious and organized of people—a wet ring left on her coffee table by a glass could drive her to distraction. —John B. Judis, New Republic, 14 Oct. 1996
“I'll stop off and get us a sandwich,” said Matthew. … Tony, a fastidious eater, sighed. —Penelope Lively, City of the Mind, 1991
Though he prides himself on being hip, he is too fastidious to do anything dangerous or dirty. —Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, 1984
He is fastidious about keeping the house clean.
She was too fastidious to do anything that might get her dirty.
Recent Examples of fastidious from the Web
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Paying fastidious attention to the minutiae of moods, appetites and sleep habits (or those of a pet) is an activity long enjoyed by the rich and underoccupied, from Edith Wharton heroines to the Kardashian sisters.
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While East African chimps have fastidious eating habits, their brethren to the west wolf their food like frat boys at a smorgasbord.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fastidious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fastidious Has a Disgusting Past
There's nothing offensive about fastidious workmanship, and yet the word fastidious traces to the Latin noun fastidium, meaning "aversion" or "disgust." "Fastidium" itself is probably a combination of the Latin words fastus, meaning "arrogance," and taedium, meaning "irksomeness" or "disgust."("Taedium" also gave us our "tedium.") In keeping with its Latin roots, fastidious once meant "haughty," "disgusting," and "disgusted," although those uses are now archaic or obsolete. The word came to be applied to someone who is squeamish or overly difficult to please, and later, to work which reflects a demanding or precise attitude.
Origin and Etymology of fastidious
Middle English, from Latin fastidiosus, from fastidium disgust, probably from fastus arrogance (probably akin to Latin fastigium top) + taedium irksomeness — more at tedium
First Known Use: 15th century
FASTIDIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
fastidious
playDefinition of fastidious for English Language Learners
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: very careful about how you do something
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: liking few things : hard to please
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: wanting to always be clean, neat, etc.
FASTIDIOUS Defined for Kids
fastidious
playDefinition of fastidious for Students
: hard to please : very particular a fastidious dresser
Medical Dictionary
fastidious
playMedical Definition of fastidious
: having complex nutritional requirements fastidious microorganisms—used of bacteria that grow only in specially fortified artificial culture media
Learn More about fastidious
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See words that rhyme with fastidious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fastidious Spanish Central: Translation of fastidious Nglish: Translation of fastidious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fastidious for Arabic speakers
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