high-maintenance
English
Etymology
According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the figurative sense was popularized by the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally....[1]
Adjective
high-maintenance (comparative more high-maintenance, superlative most high-maintenance)
- (of a system) Requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down.
- (figuratively, derogatory, of a person) Requiring a lot of attention or reassurance; emotionally needy
- 1989, Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally..., spoken by Harry Burns (Billy Crystal):
- There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
- He has this incredibly high-maintenance girlfriend; if he doesn't tell her that he loves her every five minutes, she tends to break down into hysterical depressive weepy fits.
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Antonyms
- low-maintenance
Translations
requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down
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(of a person) requiring a lot of attention or reassurance; emotionally needy
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See also
- brittle
- finicky
- temperamental
References
- Michiko Kakutani (18 November 1997), “From 'Happy Camper' to 'Out of Sight'”, in The New York Times