perfectionist

American  

[per-fek-shuh-nist] / pərˈfɛk ʃə nɪst /

noun

• perfectionists
  plural

1. a person who adheres to or believes in perfectionism.

2. a person who demands perfection of himself, herself, or others.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or distinguished by perfection or perfectionism.

perfectionist British  

/ pəˈfɛkʃənɪst /

noun

1. a person who strives for or demands the highest standards of excellence in work, etc

2. a person who believes the doctrine of perfectionism

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adjective

1. of or relating to perfectionism

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• perfectionistic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• perfectionists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of perfectionist

First recorded in 1650–60; perfection + -ist

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Explanation

A perfectionist is someone with very high standards: they want everything to be just right at all times. You know how perfect things are flawless? A perfectionist wants things to be like that all the time. A writer who is a perfectionist will revise over and over again, trying to get every word just right. A perfectionist boss will be hard on employees who aren't as careful or hard-working. Perfectionists tend to do very good work because of their high standards.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perfectionist perfectionists

I’m a perfectionist, so it’s hard because I know that as I get better at Spanish, I may look back and go, “Wow, I could have done that better.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Is it coming from a perfectionist mindset or because you are very self-critical?

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

We learn that Mr. Margouleff is a kind of sonic perfectionist for whom even stereo is insufficient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Are these three subtitle terms — codependent, perfectionist, people-pleasing — interchangeable or interlinked?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

A perfectionist, he often lost his temper and patience.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

For the perfectionists: Back in 2011, Farhad Manjoo argued that “you should never, ever use two spaces after a period.”

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

"We're all perfectionists and we want to put our best foot forward in every single performance."

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

That intrinsic level of care is present in “Hard Truths,” but without the fussiness that often feels present in films made by notorious perfectionists.

From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2025

Yuxin Sun, a psychologist in Seattle, sees a lot of clients at her group practice who insist they aren’t perfectionists.

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024

“And it’s a temptation for any intelligent person, and especially for perfectionists such as the ancients and ourselves, to try to murder the primitive, emotive, appetitive self. But that is a mistake.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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