FUSSINESS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

fussiness

noun

Definition of fussiness

as in finickiness

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Dissimilar Words

as in querulousness

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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 fussiness As the name suggests, Phillips Avent’s silicone pacifiers help soothe babies’ suckling reflex and tame fussiness almost instantly. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 1 July 2026 Despite their bad reputation for fussiness, modern varieties of this flower offer the disease resistance and performance that today's gardeners seek. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026 Free from clutter or fussiness, the thoughtful simplicity feels like pure luxury. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 The form mentioned risks such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, and fussiness. — David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Symptoms include decreased urination, dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy when standing up, crying with few or no tears, and unusual sleepiness or fussiness. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 10 Mar. 2026 Less wing fussiness, smaller bodies, more reliant on tire grip than aero, and a much beefier electric-hybrid motor doing a substantial chunk of the work. — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026 Baptisia plants are beloved for producing blue blooms that complete any garden design without the fussiness that many blue flowers exhibit. — Jamie McIntosh, The Spruce, 3 Mar. 2026 If fussiness were an Olympic sport, Annette would be a legend. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fussiness

Noun

Bryant is a restrained writer, and the fastidiousness of his elastic text does little to allay those who are likely to become inflamed.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
More such fastidiousness will be needed to arrest the domino effect of delegitimization and to renew the small guarantees of truth and dignity in public life customarily provided by legacy institutions.

— Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of fastidiousness

Noun

The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Tell her about the long, unwelcome chats, the bullying and the rudeness.

— Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 25 June 2026

Definition of rudeness

Noun

Yet the franchise, for all its mayhem, didn’t run on belligerence, or at least channelled its aggression in a disarming way.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
The previous year, troubled by the growing belligerence of the internet crowd, Atkin had enrolled in self-defense training in her neighborhood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026

Definition of belligerence

Noun

Even absent Chinese aggression, people in Taiwan increasingly identify as Taiwanese and do not seem inclined to repeat Hong Kong’s experience of acquiescing to Chinese rule.

— Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
On the night of the last game at the old stadium, a 3-2 victory against Manchester United on May 10, 2016, nobody — not the police, the local community, not the club — expected the outpouring of emotion and aggression.

— Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggression

Noun

But researchers told me that the qualities women now value more than ever—sensitivity, openness, communication skills—are not typically ingrained in men from childhood.

— Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
As for headlight alignment, the higher intensities and contrasts of LED lights mean greater sensitivity to misalignment than halogen lights.

— Matthew MacConnell, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of sensitivity

Noun

Transport second Warning signs of heat stroke include dizziness, headache, nausea, severe fatigue, and can include confusion, combativeness or potential loss of consciousness, Casa says.

— Scott Neuman, NPR, 29 July 2026
But there is a far more important influence Dobeš can have on this series than his combativeness, and that is his puckhandling.

— Sean Gentille, New York Times, 23 May 2026

Definition of combativeness

Noun

Despite their contentiousness, the candidates agreed on most major policy issues.

— Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 17 June 2026
Then there is the lifelong contentiousness with her mother, Marluce Martins Perry, a talented Brazilian artist who reluctantly traded her gifts and status for matrimony and child-rearing and resented her family in the wake of her decision.

— A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 4 May 2026

Definition of contentiousness

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“Fussiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fussiness. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of fussiness

noun

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