fussy

American  

[fuhs-ee] / ˈfʌs i /

adjective

fussier, fussiest

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.

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fussy British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• fussily adverb
• fussiness noun
• overfussy adjective
• unfussily adverb
• unfussiness noun
• unfussy adjective

Etymology

Origin of fussy

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

Example Sentences

They’d always been his fussiest fungi: the first to mope when the rains were too much, the first to stink when the rains were too little.

From Literature

I’ve started shopping at the same local grocers that supply those kitchens and trying my hand at simpler, at-home versions—nothing fussy, just borrowing the logic of the flavors.

From Salon

Briany, with her plump cheeks and full head of dark hair, wasn’t normally this fussy.

From Salon

When Leonidas was just a month old, he was fussy and often constipated.

From The Wall Street Journal

For those curious about Snoop’s dining habits, Stewart recently described him as a “very fussy eater.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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