fussy

[ fuhs-ee ]

adjective

, fuss·i·er, fuss·i·est.

1. excessively busy with trifles; anxious or particular about petty details.
2. hard to satisfy or please:

   a fussy eater.

   Synonyms: persnickety, finicky, choosy, particular

3. (of clothes, decoration, etc.) elaborately made, trimmed, or decorated:

   All the bric-a-brac gave the room a fussy, cluttered look.

4. full of details, especially in excess:

   His writing is so fussy I lose the thread of the story.

fussy

/ ˈfʌsɪ /

adjective

1. inclined to fuss over minor points
2. very particular about detail
3. characterized by overelaborate detail

   the furniture was too fussy to be elegant

Derived Forms

• ˈfussiness, noun
• ˈfussily, adverb

Other Words From

• fussi·ly adverb
• fussi·ness noun
• over·fussy adjective
• un·fussi·ly adverb
• un·fussi·ness noun
• un·fussy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fussy¹

First recorded in 1825–35; fuss + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Like some of the other prizes here, this legacy from when Azerbaijan was under Soviet rule is fussy going for the baker.

From Washington Post

Toddlers want to touch and push and pull, but they can get easily frustrated if something is too technical or fussy.

From Popular-Science

The best science gifts for kids over $50 will be educational, well made, not overly complicated and fussy, and allow for many hours of play and use.

From Popular-Science

One day as we were going out for breakfast, she was extremely irritable and fussy that morning.

From Essence.com

Of its options, she says Philodendron bipennifolium and Rhaphidophora tetrasperma aren’t “super fussy.”

From Washington Post

In the era of Tea Party stunts and dramatic fan-based delays, the debate was moderately fussy.

From The Daily Beast

It was nearing naptime and so the three hurried to grab groceries, worrying that the baby would get fussy after too long.

From The Daily Beast

“Those kids are starting to be of legal drinking age,” McMahan says of once-fussy eaters who he hopes remain picky drinkers, too.

From The Daily Beast

The fussy legal language complicates what is sometimes a life-or-death situation.

From The Daily Beast

Last month a similarly fussy—if more PG—correction went viral.

From The Daily Beast

Farewell, too, energetic and laborious dancer, my partner's middle-aged fussy cousin!

From Project Gutenberg

"I don't know," he muttered in the face of a fussy little woman, who jumped aside to let him pass.

From Project Gutenberg

We could get along with her all right; sometimes she is splendid, even if she is so fussy.

From Project Gutenberg

By calling fussy little strikes often enough I could have kept the profits close to the zero mark.

From Project Gutenberg

I wish my wife was not so fussy, though that is a kind of thing, Lady Eustace, that one has to expect from young wives.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• choosy
• conscientious
• discriminating
• finicky
• scrupulous
• squeamish