high-maintenance

American  

[hahy--meyn-tuh-nuhns] / ˈhaɪ ˈmeɪn tə nəns /

adjective

1. needing frequent or major maintenance or repair.

   Imported sports cars are high-maintenance.

2. Informal. (of a person) demanding a great deal of attention, money, or effort.

   His high-maintenance girlfriend refuses to get engaged without a big diamond ring.

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high-maintenance British  

adjective

1. (of a piece of equipment, motor vehicle, etc) requiring regular maintenance to keep it in working order

2. informal (of a person) requiring a high level of care and attention; demanding

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Etymology

Origin of high-maintenance

First recorded in 1915–20 high-maintenance for def. 1; 1980–85 high-maintenance for def. 2; high ( def. ) + maintenance ( def. )

Example Sentences

It is Ms. Ripa who suffers more than her husband, perhaps because she’s not making the decisions and/or because she has no constitutional immunity to the nervous agitation of high-maintenance fandom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 24, 2025

Everyone knows California is disaster-prone, but there’s a familiar logic to the calamitous geography in this high-maintenance beauty of a state.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2025

Answering these questions and confirming the validity of the approach in humans may soon transform T1D from a chronic, high-maintenance disease with many complications to one that can be managed much more easily.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

Maybe it’s the latest thing to join a growing list of procedures and treatments that propose being high-maintenance in order to be low-maintenance.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2024

I think she didn’t spend all her time caring for one child who was a high-maintenance musical prodigy and another who couldn’t even manage her own medication schedule.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia