Fastidious

adjective

/fæˈstɪdiəs/

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail; meticulous to the point of being hard to please, and often fussy about cleanliness or correctness.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A fastidious approach to drafting legislation, in which every clause is weighed for ambiguity and unintended consequence, is the surest safeguard against litigation that later paralyses well-meaning public policy.

Synonyms

meticulouspunctiliousscrupulousfinickyexactingparticular

Antonyms

slovenlycarelessslapdasheasygoing

🌱 Word Family

fastidiously (adv), fastidiousness (n), fastidious (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin fastidiosus = disdainful, squeamish; fastus = arrogance + taedium = disgust

📜 Etymology

From Latin fastidiosus 'disdainful, squeamish, exacting', from fastidium 'loathing, aversion, excessive nicety' (thought to be a blend of fastus 'arrogance, contempt' and taedium 'disgust'). Entered English in the mid-15th century.

🧠 Memory Hook

Link "fast-tidy-ous" - someone so fast to tidy up that every speck must be perfect; a fastidious person is fixated on tidiness and detail.

🏛️ Governance 📖 Seen in: Governance, Transparency & Accountabil...

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