fastidious
25 synonyms and 9 antonyms for fastidious, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Extremely careful about small details, especially cleanliness and order; hard to please.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
anal-retentive
choosy
exacting
dainty
finical
finicking
finickity
finicky
finikin
fussy
hypercritical
lily-handed
meticulous
niggly
nitpickish
nit-picky
nitty
overscrupulous
overcritical
pedantic
pernickety
persnickety
picky
Antonyms
careless
noncritical
nonfastidious
sloppy
unconscientious
unfastidious
uncritical
unfussy
unmeticulous
How to use fastidious
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
fastidious about detail
fastidiously clean
fastidious eater
Etymology
From Latin fastidiosus ("disdainful, squeamish"), from fastidium ("disgust, distaste").
Full origin of fastidious →Frequently asked questions
What does “fastidious” mean?
The word “fastidious” means extremely careful about small details, especially cleanliness and order; hard to please. In plain terms, extremely fussy and precise about details, order, or cleanliness.
How do you pronounce “fastidious”?
“Fastidious” is pronounced fas-TIH-dee-uhs (/fæsˈtɪdi.əs/ in IPA).
How do you use “fastidious” in a sentence?
Here is “fastidious” used in a sentence: “She was fastidious about keeping her desk perfectly organised.”
What is another word for “fastidious”?
Words with a similar meaning to “fastidious” include anal-retentive, choosy, conscientious, exacting, dainty and finical.
What is the opposite of “fastidious”?
The opposite of “fastidious” — its antonyms — are careless, noncritical, nonfastidious, sloppy and unconscientious.
What part of speech is “fastidious”?
“Fastidious” is an adjective.
Where does the word “fastidious” come from?
The word “fastidious” comes from Latin. From Latin fastidiosus ("disdainful, squeamish"), from fastidium ("disgust, distaste").
How many meanings does “fastidious” have?
“Fastidious” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely careful about small details, especially cleanliness and order; hard to please.
