as in stubborn
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
My anal-retentive brother keeps records of everything that happens in his life.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
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
Adjective
-
Consumers were facing stubborn inflation even before the war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But the unpopular war with Iran and stubborn affordability issues have given Democrats cause to be more hopeful about their chances of flipping key seats and even winning control of the Senate.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the protein-obsessive landscape of today, a couple of Quest bars sounds positively quaint.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
9 Apr. 2026
-
That series starred Gadd, in an autobiographical role, as a stand-up comedian being stalked by an obsessive fan, played by Jessica Gunning.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His parents ran a rowdy daycare out of their home an hour north of Denver, and Caldwell looks back at his dogged digging as an early attempt to find the kind of peace and clarity his mind has always naturally craved.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Wolves will miss his shot creation on offense nearly as much as his dogged perimeter defense.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Rather than a strict split of half of time spent at work and half on family matters, many people are embracing a more fluid concept of work-life integration.—
Metro Creative Services,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Three developments – higher oil prices, a stronger dollar, and stricter US financial conditions – have been headwinds for other currencies.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Following their Play-In loss, Leonard was non-committal about his future, but Frank was adamant about the team’s intentions.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The police were very adamant from early on in the investigation that no one in the Guthrie family was involved.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
