Synonyms of fastidious

fastidious

adjective

fa-ˈsti-dē-əs 

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

• careful
• nice
• particular
• finicky
• exacting
• persnickety
• picky
• fussy
• finical
• dainty
• pernickety
• meticulous
• choosy
• demanding
• delicate
• finicking
• selective
• fussbudgety
• old-maidish
• discriminating
• punctilious
• critical
• discerning
• knowledgeable
• scrupulous
• insightful
• captious
• hyperfastidious
• hypercritical
• ultrafastidious
• squeamish
• painstaking
• overcritical
• faultfinding
• peevish
• prissy
• queasy
• touchy
• overdemanding
• petulant
• prim
• caviling
• carping
• prickly
• niminy-piminy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undemanding
• affable
• carefree
• lackadaisical
• flexible
• relaxed
• unfastidious
• lax
• low-pressure
• loose
• breezy
• unfussy
• lenient
• permissive
• uncritical
• laid-back
• devil-may-care
• happy-go-lucky
• undiscriminating
• indiscriminating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fastidious

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

Lamarre is fastidious in covering all the key elements of the story that touched directly on Hartford. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026

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