Word: fastidious

Associations

Fastidious means paying a lot of attention to detail and being very concerned about cleanliness or the accuracy of something. It often describes someone who is very particular about how things should be done.

• For example, "She is fastidious about her appearance." This means she is very careful and pays great attention to how she looks.
• Another example is, "He is a fastidious eater, always checking his food for signs of dirt." This indicates he is very selective and careful about what he eats.
• A final example: "The artist was fastidious in his work, ensuring every brushstroke was perfect." This shows that the artist was meticulous and concerned about every small detail in his art.

A well-known synonym for fastidious is meticulous. The main difference is that fastidious often has a negative connotation, implying a fussiness, while meticulous suggests carefulness and precision without the negative undertone.

Substitution

Instead of fastidious, you could use:

• Meticulous: This suggests careful attention but without necessarily implying fussiness.
• Picky: This is more informal and suggests someone who is hard to please but doesn't always refer to cleanliness.
• Fussy: This also implies being overly concerned about details, often in a way that annoys others.

Deconstruction

The word fastidious comes from Latin.

• The root "fastidium" means "loathing" or "disgust."
• It has no prefixes or suffixes in English but emphasizes a nature of being overly concerned. The history of the word indicates it originally described people who had a strong aversion to imperfections or dirt.

Inquiry

• When do you think being fastidious is a good quality? Can it ever be unhelpful?
• Can you think of a time when you or someone else was fastidious? What was the situation?
• How do you feel about being precise in your work? Do you agree with being fastidious, or do you prefer to be more relaxed?