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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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
-
Originally bred in Germany to hunt badgers, these small canines are energetic, bold and stubborn.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Both options meant navigating some stubborn supporters.—
Kevin Coulson,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Our study shows that obsessive passion cuts the chances of forming sustainable relationships through networking by 17%.—
Sarah Maokosy,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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So that’s kind of why so many artists are obsessive with hustling, with always being on the road or always being in the studio.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her dogged efforts to get every manuscript into print succeeded, and Wade makes the best of a musty publishing saga.—
Judith Thurman,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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After a 50-year push fueled by Krell’s dogged persistence, Carter — first laid to rest at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes on Aug. 25, 1969 — was reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in 2020 with help from longtime family friend U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart.—
Theo Karantsalis,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The therapy will debut at Relive Health’s Stuart, Florida location, thanks to recent updates in Florida’s regulatory framework allowing advanced stem cell treatments under strict medical oversight.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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The weddings are planned by celebrity event stylist Slomique Hawrylo and adhere to a strict budget.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To their credit, Wild GM Bill Guerin and owner Craig Leipold were adamant that wasn’t going to happen and got a deal done.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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His family, as well as his legal team, are adamant that Combs has been rehabilitated and should be released.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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