Hypertext Webster Gateway: "fastidious"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Fastidious \Fas*tid"i*ous\, a. [L. fastidiosus disdainful, fr.
fastidium loathing, aversion, perh. fr. fastus arrogance (of
uncertain origin) + taedium loathing. Cf. {Tedious}, {Fash}.]
Difficult to please; delicate to a fault; suited with
difficulty; squeamish; as, a fastidious mind or ear; a
fastidious appetite.
Proud youth ! fastidious of the lower world. --Young.
Syn: Squeamish; critical; overnice; difficult; punctilious.
Usage: {Fastidious}, {Squeamish}. We call a person fastidious
when his taste or feelings are offended by trifling
defects or errors; we call him squeamish when he is
excessively nice or critical on minor points, and also
when he is overscrupulous as to questions of duty.
``Whoever examines his own imperfections will cease to
be fastidious; whoever restrains his caprice and
scrupulosity will cease to be squeamish.'' --Crabb. --
{Fas*tid"i*ous*ly}, adv. -- {Fas*tid"i*ous*ness}, n.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
fastidious
adj 1: giving and careful attention to detail; hard to please;
excessively concerned with cleanliness; "a fastidious
and incisive intellect"; "fastidious about personal
cleanliness" [ant: {unfastidious}]
2: (microbiology) having complicated nutritional requirements;
especially growing only in special artificial cultures;
"fastidious microorganisms"; "certain highly specialized
xerophytes are extremely exacting in their requirements"
[syn: {exacting}] [ant: {unfastidious}]
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