fastidious

English

WOTD – 3 December 2006

Etymology

From Latin fastīdiōsus (“passive: that feels disgust, disdainful, scornful, fastidious; active: that causes disgust, disgusting, loathsome”), from fastīdium (“a loathing, aversion, disgust, niceness of taste, daintiness, etc.”), perhaps for *fastutidium, from fastus (“disdain, haughtiness, arrogance, disgust”) + taedium (“disgust”). Cf. French fastidieux.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fæˈstɪdi.əs/, /fəˈstɪdi.əs/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)

Adjective

fastidious (comparative more fastidious, superlative most fastidious)

Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.
Synonyms: exacting, fussy, meticulous, niggly, pernickety; see also Thesaurus:fastidious
- 2003, Lynsay Sands, Single White Vampire:
  He had at first tried to clean up as they ate, his fastidious nature kicking in, but Chris had told him to just stop, he was blocking the TV.
- 2004, Maria Osborne Perr, Ravished Wings‎:
  As she cleaned the room daily, she knew it was against his fastidious nature to bring or have food in his room.
- 2008, Robert Fisher, Memory Road‎:
  His fastidious nature had been evident in his careful snipping of a customer's hair and now he guided his pencil with the same adroitness.
Overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness.
- 2010, Debra Lee Baldwin, Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy-Care ...‎:
  "If you are fastidious, clean previously used pots inside and out; if not, merely clean the outside (unless you are battling a pest infestation; then the inside will need scrubbing as well)."
Difficult to please; quick to find fault.
- 1908, Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady (The Novels and Tales of Henry James), volume (please specify |volume=I or II), New York edition, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, OCLC 4447781; republished as The Portrait of a Lady (EBook #283), United States: Project Gutenberg, 1 September 2001:
  You're too fastidious, and too indolent, and too rich.
- 1897, Kate Chopin, The Lilies:
  "It's burn[t], M'sieur," said Marie Louise, politely, but decidedly, to the utter confusion of Mr. Billy, who was as mortified as could be at the failure of his dinner to please his fastidious little visitor.

Derived terms

fastidiously
fastidiousness

Translations

excessively particular

Asturian: repunu, repunante
Azerbaijani: vasvası
Bulgarian: взискателен (bg) (vziskatelen), придирчив (bg) (pridirčiv)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 奄尖嘅 (jim¹ zim¹ ge³)
Mandarin: 挑剔 (zh) (tiāoti), 苛求 (zh) (kēqiú), 過細／过细 (zh) (guòxì)
Cornish: denti
Czech: puntíčkářský, pečlivý (cs), akurátní, náročný (cs), pedantský (cs)
Dutch: kieskeurig (nl)
Esperanto: finika
Finnish: nirso (fi), turhantarkka
French: pointilleux (fr), minutieux (fr)
German: pedantisch (de), manisch (de), (colloquial) pingelig (de), kleinlich (de), akribisch (de), minutiös (de), überkorrekt, wählerisch (de)
Irish: meonúil
Italian: pignolo (it), meticoloso (it)
Japanese: 几帳面な (きちょうめんな, kichōmen-na)
Maori: manaia, warahoe (refers to food), whakatarapī, mōkinokino (refers to food), manaia, uhupoho (referring to details)
Occitan: meticulós, primejaire, menimós (oc), espepidaire, manhac (oc), manhagós
Plautdietsch: krakjt
Polish: drobiazgowy (pl), skrupulatny (pl)
Portuguese: meticuloso (pt), minucioso (pt)
Romanian: minuțios (ro)
Russian: (излишне) тре́бовательный (ru) (trébovatelʹnyj), привере́дливый (ru) (priverédlivyj), приди́рчивый (ru) (pridírčivyj), скрупулёзный (ru) (skrupuljóznyj)
Spanish: cicatero (es), quisquilloso (es), regodeón
Swedish: nogräknad (sv), granntyckt (sv)
Ukrainian: вибагливий m (vybahlyvyj), прискіпливий m (pryskiplyvyj), вимогливий m (vymohlyvyj)

overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness

Azerbaijani: vasvası
Bulgarian: изтънчен (bg) (iztǎnčen)
Czech: úzkostlivý
Dutch: scrupuleus (nl)
Esperanto: minuciosa
Finnish: turhantarkka, pikkutarkka (fi)
French: méticuleux (fr)
German: (colloquial) pingelig (de), penibel (de), übergenau (de), etepetete (de)
Italian: meticoloso (it), precisino (it)
Latin: fastidiosus
Maori: whakautiuti
Occitan: maniac (oc), netejaire (oc), manhac (oc), manhagós
Plautdietsch: krakjt
Russian: брезгли́вый (ru) (brezglívyj)
Spanish: maniático (es) de la limpieza
Swedish: petig (sv), petnoga (sv)
Turkish: titiz (tr)
Ukrainian: прискіпливий m (pryskiplyvyj), скрупульозний (uk) m (skrupulʹoznyj), ретельний m (retelʹnyj)

difficult to please

Azerbaijani: vasvası
Bulgarian: капризен (bg) (kaprizen)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 難取悅的／难取悦的 (nán qǔyuè de)
Dutch: veeleisend (nl)
Finnish: nirso (fi), vaativa (fi), nirppanokkainen
French: exigeant (fr)
German: anspruchsvoll (de), wählerisch (de), kleinlich (de), mäkelig, zimperlich (de), eigen (de), heikel (de)
Japanese: 気難しい (きむずかしい, kimuzukashii), 好みのむずかしい (このみのむずかしい, konomi no muzukashii)
Maori: mōkinokino (refers only to food)
Occitan: exigent, refastinhós, manhac (oc), manhagós
Polish: wybredny (pl)
Portuguese: exigente (pt)
Romanian: cusurgiu (ro), mofturos (ro)
Russian: прихотли́вый (ru) (prixotlívyj)
Spanish: exigente (es)
Swedish: kräsen (sv) c, kinkig (sv)
Turkish: güçbeğenir (tr), müşkülpesent (tr)
Ukrainian: вередливий m (veredlyvyj)