high-maintenance

adjective

high-main·​te·​nance ˈhī-ˈmānt-nən(t)s 

-ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s

1

: requiring a large amount of care or maintenance

The high-maintenance "Dracula" orchid constantly needs high levels of humidity and cooler temperatures.

—Victoria Colliver

They can't even afford the high-maintenance hairdos, let alone the Adidas sweats.

—Gerri Hirshey

2

of a person : tending to cause problems or demand attention : extremely sensitive, demanding, or temperamental

Playing the victim gets you absolutely nowhere, and it only makes you seem tiring and high-maintenance to your boss.

—Cosmopolitan

Matthäus is the greatest German sweeper since Beckenbauer, but he's high-maintenance. At various times in his career, he has accused a ref of taking bribes, scrapped with a teammate and, three years ago, ripped his universally beloved German teammate Jürgen Klinsmann in a tell-all book.

—Jeff Bradley

Examples of high-maintenance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the material may be a high-maintenance choice (fingerprints galore), the timeless material is having a resurgence thanks to the chrome trend. —Rachel Fletcher, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2026

The classic bob length will never go out of style, and this look masters the subtle shagginess without being too over-the-top or high-maintenance. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025

Ultimately, diversification is a high-maintenance strategy. —Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Lighter hair tones are notoriously high-maintenance—and come with the annoying reality check that brassiness is bound to happen. —Austen Tosone, Glamour, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for high-maintenance

• maintenance