anal-retentive

adjective

Definition of anal-retentivenext
as in stubborn
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise My anal-retentive brother keeps records of everything that happens in his life.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anal-retentive But there would be no grease-drinking, Judas-playing Sandy without his anal-retentive best friend, Reuben Feffer. — Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024 Conventional management practices suppress everything that isn’t vine by mowing, tilling, and spraying herbicide with an intensity that ranges from anal-retentive to paranoid. — Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024 One might be forgiven for also thinking that the identification is not so much between the audience and the killer as between Fincher, who is known as something of a filmmaking fusspot, and his anal-retentive central character. — Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal-retentive
  1. stubborn
  2. obsessive
  3. dogged
  4. strict
  5. adamant
Adjective
  • Volatile job numbers, stubborn inflation and changes to the Fed’s communications style are all stirring up uncertainty in markets and raising the stakes for upcoming economic data releases — including this week’s inflation report.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The softening job market may complicate the calculation for the Federal Reserve, which is also battling stubborn inflation.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • The show’s young cast rocketed to superstardom, particularly Adam Brody (as pop culture obsessive Seth Cohen), Mischa Barton (as girl-next-door Marissa Cooper), and Rachel Bilson (as the popular Summer Roberts).
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Tiley also became known for his obsessive attention to detail.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of obsessive
Adjective
  • Fineman is set to play Parker Quinn, a sports reporter for a top publication who’s known as a dogged reporter with a passion for her beat.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 July 2026
  • One of the hallmarks of the series is its dogged attention to detail, an aspect of storyboarding infinitely complicated by the non-linear nature of the episodes and the vast number of years Lestat’s life as a vampire spans.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026
Definition of dogged
Adjective
  • Beijing's core motivation is maintaining strict capital controls; a freely transferable yuan token would undermine this.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The company said that its advanced production lines operate at 95% automation, using thousands of checkpoints to guarantee strict quality control.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of strict
Adjective
  • But Powell was adamant about his right to set such parameters.
    — KORI SCHAKE, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The family is also adamant that they were told by the hospital that by the time Lopez-Cornejo arrived there on Saturday, his heart was no longer beating.
    — Armando Garcia, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of adamant

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Cite this Entry

“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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