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fastidious

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The definition of fastidious is a very careful attention to detail, or an uptight or hyper-critical person.

(adjective)

An example of fastidious is a guest looking for dust on surfaces in another's home.

See fastidious in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

not easy to please; very critical or discriminating
refined in a too dainty or oversensitive way, so as to be easily disgusted

Origin: ME < L fastidiosus < fastidium, a loathing, disgust < fastus, disdain, contempt, pride (< ? IE base *bhars-, projection, point, bristle) + taedium: see tedium

Related Forms:

fastidiously adverb
fastidiousness noun

See fastidious in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective

Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
Difficult to please; exacting.
Excessively scrupulous or sensitive, especially in matters of taste or propriety. See Synonyms at meticulous.
Microbiology Having complicated nutritional requirements.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English, squeamish, particular, haughty

Origin: , from Old French fastidieux

Origin: , from Latin fastīdiōsus

Origin: , from fastīdium, squeamishness, haughtiness

Origin: , probably from fastus, disdain

Related Forms: