fastidious

adjective

fas·​tid·​i·​ous fa-ˈsti-dē-əs How to pronounce fastidious (audio)
fə-
1
a
of a person's work, approach, etc. : extremely or excessively careful or detailed
fastidious research
scenes drawn in fastidious detail
… he took fastidious care of his cars.Marga Lincoln
… his fastidious approach to tasks—making detailed, several-page lists on yellow pads …Josh Dawsey et al.
… her fastidious—but never fussy—prose …Kirkus Reviews
But many food poisoning outbreaks are complicated. Some are never solved. Cracking them is fastidious work.Lynne Terry
Just as famous was the 1965 Jaguar [guitar] he played, which Fender has recreated with fastidious attention to detail.spin.com
b
of a person or trait : characterized by a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude
a fastidious dresser/eater
… a collector with fastidious taste.Martin Chulov
True to her fastidious nature, Peretti hand-selected all of the stones included in the collections …Misty White Sidell
: such as
(1)
: having high and often capricious standards
… critics … so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates.Granville Hicks
(2)
: characterized by extreme or excessive concern about cleanliness or neatness
a fastidious housekeeper
But in the hazy panic of the time, many people had already taken up fastidious habits: quarantining packages at the door, bleaching boxes of cereal brought back from the store, wearing hospital booties outdoors.Gregory Barber
Disorder and dirt filled the rough cabin, or so it seemed to her fastidious eye.William MacLeod Raine
2
: having complex nutritional requirements
fastidious microorganisms
3
archaic : scornful
fastidiously adverb
fastidiousness noun

Did you know?

Fastidious Has a Disgusting Past

Fastidious comes from Latin fastidium, meaning "aversion" or "disgust." Fastidium is believed to be a combination of fastus, meaning "arrogance," and taedium, "irksomeness" or "disgust." (Taedium is also the source of tedium and tedious.) In keeping with its Latin roots, fastidious once meant "haughty," "disgusting," and "disagreeable," but the word is now most often applied to people who are very meticulous or overly difficult to please, or to work which reflects a demanding or precise attitude.

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 on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Hidden behind these very recognisable visual stylings, however, is Burton’s fastidious world building. Tacita Quinn, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024 That said, baseball is also a baffling sport played by fastidious people with numerous eccentricities and superstitions. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024 The play, about a fanciful tour guide of a dull and stately English country house who runs into conflict with a factually fastidious official at the historic property, was almost immaterial. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 The hike to the top is a short but fastidious one with the most incredible views. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fastidious 

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of fastidious was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near fastidious

Cite this Entry

“Fastidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastidious. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

fastidious

adjective
fas·​tid·​i·​ous fa-ˈstid-ē-əs How to pronounce fastidious (audio)
: hard to please : very particular
fastidiously adverb
fastidiousness noun

Medical Definition

fastidious

adjective
fas·​tid·​i·​ous fa-ˈstid-ē-əs, fə- How to pronounce fastidious (audio)
: having complex nutritional requirements
fastidious microorganisms
used of bacteria that grow only in specially fortified artificial culture media

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