choosy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of choosy
Explanation
Someone who's choosy is very particular or picky. If you're choosy about your food, you might refuse to eat at McDonald's no matter how hungry you are. Choosy people often have a reputation for being hard to please — they might take a long time to make a decision, or reject several choices as not being quite right. If you're choosy, you might hold out for the very best of something. An old TV commercial for peanut butter included the line, "Choosy moms choose Jif!" Choosy is an American English word, from choose, from the Old English root ceosan, "choose," and also "accept or approve."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“They’re being very choosy about which role they test for.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
Following a disappointing year for software stocks, investors still have to be choosy when playing the sector, analysts say.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026
The solar growth story is real, but investors should be choosy in how they play it, says Shawn Kravetz, president and chief investment officer of Esplanade Capital, which invests in renewable energy.
From Barron's • Dec. 9, 2025
The success of those enterprises has allowed her to be choosy when it comes to acting gigs.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
Dick, however, was choosy, and in bars his usual choice was an Orange Blossom.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
