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.

demanding needy

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

fussy exacting

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.”

demanding needy fussy exacting

Opposites

low-maintenance easy-going undemanding

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

low-maintenance hard-wearing

How to use high-maintenance

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

high-maintenance relationship high-maintenance hair high-maintenance client

Informal; the person sense is judgemental, the object sense is neutral.

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....

Full origin of high-maintenance →

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.

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demanding needy fussy exacting

Nearby words

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