high-maintenance

[hahy--meyn-tuh-nuhns]

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.

high-maintenance

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of high-maintenance¹

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

Example Sentences

But adapting the high-maintenance, taste-challenged animal to other countries’ cuisines has pushed chefs to extremes.

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The remaining option is to find a third country to take her in, but that too is fraught: few governments are likely to accept a "high-maintenance guest with serious legal problems and security needs", Mr Kugelman says.

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It’s no surprise that the industry has been desperate to dump its high-maintenance lover for almost as long as they’ve been together.

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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.

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But these smart assistants already feel less like high-maintenance houseguests and more like part of the family: They listen, learn and might even help find the missing dog.

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