Meanings
fussy1
adjectivefussy (comparative fussier, superlative fussiest)
comparative fussier · superlative fussiest
- Anxious or particular about petty details; hard to please.
It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC - Having a tendency to fuss, cry, or be bad-tempered/ill-tempered (especially of babies).
- Having much unnecessary detail or decoration.
The internal decor of the SR-built Bulleid corridor stock was noticeably cleaner and less fussy than that of prewar coaches.
1979 August, Graham Burtenshaw, Michael S. Welch, “O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1”, in Railway World, page 398
Fussy2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveannoyed and irritable
adjectiveexacting especially about details
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek ἐκλεκτικός
- ἐκλεκτικός (eklektikós)particular about details
Bulgarian придирчив, дребнав
- придирчив (pridirčiv)particular about details
- дребнав (drebnav)particular about details
- взискателен (vziskatelen)particular about details
Catalan exigent, perepunyetes
- exigentparticular about details
- perepunyetesparticular about details
Chinese Cantonese 奄尖嘅
- 奄尖嘅 (jim¹ zim¹ ge³)particular about details
Chinese Mandarin 挑剔, 精挑細選 /精挑细选
- 挑剔 (tiāoti)particular about details
- 精挑細選 /精挑细选 (jīngtiāoxìxuǎn)particular about details
- 挑三揀四 /挑三拣四 (tiāosānjiǎnsì)particular about details
- 苛求 (kēqiú)particular about details
- 過細 /过细 (guòxì)particular about details
- 大惊小怪的 (da jing xiao guai de)having a tendency to fuss or cry
Czech malicherný, puntičkářský
- malichernýparticular about details
- puntičkářskýparticular about details
- hnidopišskýparticular about details
- příliš náročnýparticular about details
- vybíravýparticular about details
- pečlivýparticular about details
- akurátníparticular about details
- náročnýparticular about details
- pedantskýparticular about details
- úzkostlivýhaving a tendency to fuss or cry
Danish pertentlig, nøjeregnende
- pertentligparticular about details
- nøjeregnendeparticular about details
- sirligparticular about details
- fordringsfuldparticular about details
- pedantiskparticular about details
- krævendeparticular about details
Dutch pietluttig, kieskeurig
- pietluttigparticular about details
- kieskeurigparticular about details
Esperanto postulema, elektema
- postulemaparticular about details
- elektemaparticular about details
- finikaparticular about details
Finnish nirso, pikkutarkka
- nirsoparticular about details
- pikkutarkkaparticular about details
- turhantarkkaparticular about details
- valikoivaparticular about details
- ronkeliparticular about details
- touhukashaving a tendency to fuss or cry
- touhuavahaving a tendency to fuss or cry
French pointilleux, tatillon
- pointilleuxparticular about details
- tatillonparticular about details
- sélectifparticular about details
- exigeantparticular about details
- difficileparticular about details
- faire la fine boucheparticular about details
- minutieuxparticular about details
German pingelig, wählerisch
- pingeligparticular about details
- wählerischparticular about details
- anspruchsvollparticular about details
- unruhigparticular about details
- kleinlichparticular about details
- übereifrigparticular about details
- etepeteteparticular about details
- penibelparticular about details
- heikelparticular about details
- zimperlichparticular about details
- eigenparticular about details
- aufgeregtparticular about details
Greek σχολαστικός, λεπτολόγος
- σχολαστικός (scholastikós)particular about details
- λεπτολόγος (leptológos)particular about details
- ιδιότροπος (idiótropos)particular about details
- εξεζητημένος (exezitiménos)particular about details
- εκλεκτικός (eklektikós)particular about details
Hebrew טרחני, בררן
- טרחני (tarkhaní)particular about details
- בררן (barerán)particular about details
- בררנית (bareranít)particular about details
- עצבני (atsbaní)having a tendency to fuss or cry
Hungarian aggodalmaskodó, nyűgös
- aggodalmaskodóparticular about details
- nyűgösparticular about details
- válogatósparticular about details
- finnyásparticular about details
Icelandic kræsinn
- kræsinnparticular about details
Indonesian rewel
- rewelparticular about details
Irish meonúil
- meonúilparticular about details
Italian esigente, puntiglioso
- esigenteparticular about details
- puntigliosoparticular about details
- schizzinosoparticular about details
- maniacaleparticular about details
- pignoloparticular about details
- meticolosoparticular about details
Japanese 喧しい, 小うるさい
- 喧しい (yakamashii)particular about details
- 小うるさい (kourusai)particular about details
- 几帳面な (kichōmen-na)particular about details
Korean 까다롭다
- 까다롭다 (kkadaropda)particular about details
Malay pemilih
- pemilihparticular about details
Māori wahakawa, mōkinokino
- wahakawaparticular about details
- mōkinokinoparticular about details
- warahoeparticular about details
- utiutiparticular about details
- manaiaparticular about details
- whakatarapīparticular about details
- uhupohoparticular about details
- whakautiutiparticular about details
Norwegian pirkete
- pirketeparticular about details
Norwegian Bokmål overnøyaktig, pedantisk
- overnøyaktigparticular about details
- pedantiskparticular about details
Persian ضربه زننده
- ضربه زنندهparticular about details
Polish wybredny, grymaśny
- wybrednyparticular about details
- grymaśnyparticular about details
- drobiazgowyparticular about details
- skrupulatnyparticular about details
- płaczliwyhaving a tendency to fuss or cry
Portuguese exigente, enjoado
- exigenteparticular about details
- enjoadoparticular about details
- frescurentoparticular about details
- frescoparticular about details
- mimizentoparticular about details
- seletivoparticular about details
- meticulosoparticular about details
- minuciosoparticular about details
Romanian pretențios, mofturos
- pretențiosparticular about details
- mofturosparticular about details
- năzurosparticular about details
- minuțiosparticular about details
Russian привере́дливый, разбо́рчивый
- привере́дливый (priverédlivyj)particular about details
- разбо́рчивый (razbórčivyj)particular about details
- приди́рчивый (pridírčivyj)particular about details
- избира́тельный (izbirátelʹnyj)particular about details
- тре́бовательный (trébovatelʹnyj)particular about details
- скрупулёзный (skrupuljóznyj)particular about details
Spanish mañoso, mañero
- mañosoparticular about details
- mañeroparticular about details
- quisquillosoparticular about details
- tiquismiquisparticular about details
- pejigueroparticular about details
- cicateroparticular about details
Swedish kinkig, kräsen
- kinkigparticular about details
- kräsenparticular about details
- petigparticular about details
- nogräknadparticular about details
- granntycktparticular about details
Thai พิถีพิถัน, จู้จี้จุกจิก
- พิถีพิถัน (pí-tǐi-pí-tǎn)particular about details
- จู้จี้จุกจิกparticular about details
Turkish detaycı, mızmız
- detaycıparticular about details
- mızmızhaving a tendency to fuss or cry
Ukrainian прискі́пливий, вибагливий
- прискі́пливий (pryskíplyvyj)particular about details
- вибагливий (vybahlyvyj)particular about details
- вимогливий (vymohlyvyj)particular about details
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with fussy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
fussy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fussy
MLA
“fussy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fussy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fussy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fussy.
Source: fussy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.