Word
fastidious
Phoneticsfas·tid·i·ous, stress on the second syllable
US/fæˈstɪdiəs/
UK/fɑːstˈɪdɪəs/
Definition
adj. giving a lot of attention to small details and wanting everything to be perfect. You use this to describe someone who is very careful or even difficult to please because they are so neat and organized.
adj. showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care; reflecting a meticulous and demanding attitude toward detail or cleanliness. Often used to describe individuals who are difficult to please due to high standards.
Examples
“She is fastidious about keeping her desk organized.”
“The chef is fastidious about the quality of his ingredients, personally inspecting every delivery before it enters the kitchen.”
“His fastidious attention to historical accuracy ensured that every costume in the film was a perfect replica of eighteenth-century attire, though it significantly delayed the production schedule.”
Examples
simple
“She is fastidious about keeping her desk organized.”
contextual
“The chef is fastidious about the quality of his ingredients, personally inspecting every delivery before it enters the kitchen.”
complex
“His fastidious attention to historical accuracy ensured that every costume in the film was a perfect replica of eighteenth-century attire, though it significantly delayed the production schedule.”
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'about'.
Real-World Examples
“Mr. Harvey was a fastidious connoisseur of antiques, food and wine.” “Amleth inhabits a world whose operating principle is cruelty, and Eggers’s accomplishment lies in his fastidious, fanatical rendering of that world, down to its bed linens and cooking utensils.” “Both players and dancers rose to meet the fastidious and exacting standards of a mind that, as De Valois said, "knew no second rate".” “For the most fastidious of motorists, this could mean creeping out in pyjamas at midnight on the appointed date to replace it.” Etymology
Borrowed 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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