high-maintenance
4 synonyms and 4 antonyms for high-maintenance, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Of a person, needing a great deal of attention, reassurance or effort to keep happy.
Synonyms
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.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective informal
Of a person, needing a great deal of attention, reassurance or effort to keep happy.
“He's high-maintenance: three texts a day or he assumes something is wrong.”
Opposites
2. adjective
Of a thing, requiring frequent care, servicing or expense to keep in good condition.
“A pool is beautiful and thoroughly high-maintenance.”
Opposites
How to Use High-Maintenance
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Informal; the person sense is judgemental, the object sense is neutral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is calling someone high-maintenance an insult?
Usually, though a mild one. It suggests the person is hard work and can be unfairly aimed at anyone with clear standards or needs. Many people now use it about themselves, half-jokingly, to warn others what to expect.
What is the difference between high-maintenance and demanding?
Demanding is about what someone asks of others, often with authority behind it. High-maintenance is about the ongoing effort of keeping them content, and it applies to objects and pets as readily as to people.
Is high-maintenance hyphenated?
Hyphenate it before a noun, as in a high-maintenance garden. After the verb it can go either way, though the hyphen is still very common: the garden is high-maintenance.