adjective
- excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please: a fastidious eater.
- requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.
adjective
- very critical; hard to please
- excessively particular about details
- exceedingly delicate; easily disgusted
mid-15c., “full of pride,” from Latin fastidiosus “disdainful, squeamish, exacting,” from fastidium “loathing, squeamishness,” most likely from *fastu-taidiom, a compound of fastus “contempt, arrogance” and taedium “aversion, disgust.” Early use in English was both in passive and active senses. Meaning “squeamish, over-nice” emerged in English 1610s. Related: Fastidiously; fastidiousness.
adj.
- Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
- Difficult to please; exacting.
- Having complex nutritional requirements. Used of microorganisms.