fastidious

adjective

fas·tid·i·ous | \ fa-ˈsti-dē-əs

, fə-\

Definition of fastidious

1a : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care fastidious attention to detail— Robert Evett

b : reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude fastidious workmanship

c : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please critics … so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates— Granville Hicks

2 : having complex nutritional requirements fastidious microorganisms

3 archaic : scornful

Other Words from fastidious Synonyms & Antonyms Fastidious Has a Disgusting Past More Example Sentences Learn More about fastidious

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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.

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

Understanding the gravity of the contretemps requires a glimpse into the fastidious fashion in which the NTSB does its job. — Faiz Siddiqui, Washington Post, "Tesla may have violated federal rules by releasing information about fatal California crash," 2 Apr. 2018 The movie follows a fastidious fashion designer who dreams up gorgeously lush dresses. — Author: Jill Serjeant, Piya Sinha-roy, Anchorage Daily News, "Oscar nominations 2018: ‘The Shape of Water’ leads with 13," 23 Jan. 2018 Moreover, even if the U.S. is able to put the gene-tinkering cork back in the bottle, wouldn’t that concede a competitive advantage to nations that aren’t so fastidious? — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: Best of 2018," 7 Dec. 2018 Harvard was led by John Yovicsin, frosty, formal and fastidious, a worshiper in Congregationial churches and a reliable sideline figure in a fedora on fall Saturdays. — David M. Shribman, WSJ, "‘The Game’ Review: A Clash Upon a Darkling Plain," 27 Sep. 2018 Other spirits, whether gin, vodka or rum, were mostly imported—an unlikely scenario in a country so fastidious about the provenance and quality of its food and drink. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "Come to Kyoto for the Sake, Stay for the Gin," 17 Aug. 2018 Choices here may reflect his gallery’s aesthetic: cogent, skewed, color-charged, fastidious, and sometimes darkly wacky. — BostonGlobe.com, "The week ahead: music, theater, art, and more," 13 July 2018 His colleagues are annoying misfits, described by their quirks, like the fastidious Fredrik Melander, who has a photographic memory, passionately loves his ugly wife, and spends too much time on the toilet. — Alice Bolin, Longreads, "The Daughter as Detective," 26 June 2018 Further, few religions are as centralized or as fastidious about record keeping as the Catholic Church. — Peter Smith, Philly.com, "Victims' advocates: Abuse not just a 'Catholic problem'," 25 June 2018

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.