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Synonyms

choosy

American  
[choo-zee] / ˈtʃu zi /

adjective

choosier, choosiest

  1. hard to please, particular; fastidious, especially in making a selection.

    She's too choosy about food.
choosy British  
/ ˈtʃuːzɪ /

adjective

  1. informal particular in making a choice; difficult to please

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of choosy

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; choose + -y 1

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."

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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.

Treasure hunting: Choosy shoppers are bypassing Brooklyn for the Newburgh Vintage Emporium.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022

“Everything happened faster in New York than Michigan,’’ said Ms. Cucci, 26, who until recently was the human resources manager and the executive assistant at Choosy, a fashion and technology company in New York.

From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2020

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.