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 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 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. meticulous
  8. picky
Adjective
  • Without careful planning to reduce the constellations’ brightness, the team found that, in the most extreme case, the satellites could outnumber visible stars by a factor of 100.
    — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Maneuvering in tight spaces requires careful judgment of each individual case — and not just about which body part is least likely to cause offense when brought into close proximity to a fellow diner.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Today’s recipe Chef David Tanis’ recipe for Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad With Bitter Lettuces has a nice combination of sweet and bitter.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Eldridge made a nice play to catch that ball, make a throw and get it out.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • These agents identify information relevant to particular use-case-specific signals and produce reports intended to reduce the amount of time required for decision-making.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
  • All have been regularly targeted in the war, with Kuwait and the UAE sites of particular focus for Iran.
    — Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of particular
Adjective
  • 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
  • Although ficus trees can be finicky, their flexibility and natural beauty are just as pleasant to gaze upon in the 2020s, both indoors and outdoors.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 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
  • An immaculate natural setting, meticulous interior design, simple pleasures such as a complete sense of privacy, and impeccable service are just some of the highlights.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • When the scant blood trail disappeared, Charles began the meticulous hands-and-knees job of track-trailing the buck.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of meticulous
Adjective
  • Violet helleborines are incredibly picky orchids, requiring a mature beech forest growing on a clay soil overlaid on chalk.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Here are details on tiny frozen pancakes that promise to quash hunger and please even the pickiest of eaters and those that are likely to end up as back-seat crumbles.
    — Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of picky

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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 25 Aug. 2026.

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