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fastidious

adjective

fa-ˈsti-dē-əs How to pronounce fastidious (audio)
Definition of fastidiousnext
as in careful
hard to please he is very fastidious about how he arranges his music collection, and woe to anyone who dares to mess around with it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 fastidious Where To Eat On 30A From classic Southern fare to bustling rooftop bars to seafood dives, the restaurants scattered along 30A will satisfy (and fill up) everyone, from the most fastidious foodie to the pickiest nibbler. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 10 July 2026 No such thing as a flop era for the fastidious Atlantic Trivia player. — Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026 The irony is that in not trying to pass muster with more conservative theatergoers (and their fastidious institutional guardians), playwrights have been winning over not just critics but also formerly squeamish artistic directors and perennially nervous Broadway producers. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 Diana was fastidious about controlling her narrative. — Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fastidious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fastidious
  1. careful
  2. nice
  3. particular
  4. finicky
  5. exacting
  6. persnickety
  7. picky
  8. fussy
Adjective
  • The Challenges of Caring for a Fireclay Sink However, the same gleaming surface that makes a fireclay sink an anchor of your kitchen design requires a more intentional, careful cleaning routine than some other materials.
    — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The premise couldn’t be simpler, though Wollner’s incredible prologue — a careful arrangement of low-event long takes that emphasize how people move through spaces in time — trains our eyes to privilege texture over incident.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • There's also a small flip up carry loop, which is a nice feature for a bottle with a comparably wide diameter.
    — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Nor are there many studios with two full baths, a nice perk owed to the combination of two apartments and potentially a key to relationship harmony in the mornings.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • Podded propulsion offers particular advantages in this environment.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Tall goalkeepers have traditionally had to deal with a particular technical problem.
    — Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of particular
Adjective
  • Moisture trapped in the ground allows finicky crops such as onions and peanuts to grow.
    — Adrien Marotte, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Their odds of winning the World Series – a famously finicky task prone to small sample size flukes – were over 25%, one-in-four for one of baseball’s 30 teams.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of finicky
Adjective
  • Every place on this list has been vetted and endorsed, again and again, by the world’s most exacting travelers.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • Loathe have always been committed to self-production (their 2017 debut is their only album that credits an outside co-producer), but A Stranger to You begs for more exacting supervision.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of exacting
Adjective
  • The team then turned to an open-source model developed in China, which was less persnickety.
    — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • Imagine creating a new standard of hypersensitive caution about attracting even the most persnickety media criticism, and then applying it for the first time to your son’s wedding.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Definition of persnickety
Adjective
  • That being said, those in the chip sector looking for partners are getting increasingly picky, with finance not always among their top preferences.
    — Justina Lee,Lisa Kim, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Considering the world of options there are out there, some picky people take years to find the perfect sofa.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of picky
Adjective
  • Baby is fussy, so back to Mom to eat as suitor Robert Pattinson tries his shot at Anne Hathaway.
    — Zachary Pincus-Roth, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • It’s designed to flatter various body types without feeling tight or fussy.
    — Sarah Scott, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of fussy

Browse Nearby Words

fast-forwards
fastidious
fastidiously
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Cite this Entry

“Fastidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fastidious. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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