high-maintenance

adjective

high-main·​te·​nance ˈhī-ˈmānt-nən(t)s How to pronounce high-maintenance (audio)
-ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s
1
: requiring a large amount of care or maintenance
The high-maintenance "Dracula" orchid constantly needs high levels of humidity and cooler temperatures.Victoria Colliver
They can't even afford the high-maintenance hairdos, let alone the Adidas sweats.Gerri Hirshey
2
of a person : tending to cause problems or demand attention : extremely sensitive, demanding, or temperamental
Playing the victim gets you absolutely nowhere, and it only makes you seem tiring and high-maintenance to your boss.Cosmopolitan
Matthäus is the greatest German sweeper since Beckenbauer, but he's high-maintenance. At various times in his career, he has accused a ref of taking bribes, scrapped with a teammate and, three years ago, ripped his universally beloved German teammate Jürgen Klinsmann in a tell-all book.Jeff Bradley

Examples of high-maintenance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Leather may seem high-maintenance for a pair of hiking boots, but that’s not the case. Lauren Mazzo, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2024 If that sounds too high-maintenance, Mena says that's cool too. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 13 Feb. 2024 Shorter haircuts are also significantly less high-maintenance over all. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 30 Jan. 2024 Levy co-created the Emmy-winning series with his son, Daniel Levy, who played the Roses’ high-maintenance son David. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2024 Prairie Moon also sells Eco-Grass, a low-maintenance lawn seed mix that’s an alternative to thirsty, high-maintenance turf grass. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024 In the aftermath of high-maintenance hair color trends like money piece highlights, a return to simpler hair looks makes sense. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 26 Dec. 2023 The color still feels decidedly brunette thanks to her roots and base color, but the lightness of the highlights gives it lots of dimension — without the high-maintenance commitment. Marci Robin, Allure, 18 Dec. 2023 While a houseplant can purify your air and bring life to your home décor, some of us don't have time for a high-maintenance plant. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'high-maintenance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of high-maintenance was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near high-maintenance

Cite this Entry

“High-maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-maintenance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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