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finickiness

finickiness

8.0
A tendency to be fussy and to need extra care
  • noun
  • /fɪˈnɪkɪnəs/
translation icon : exigencia
  • The cat's finickiness when choosing its food led to many wasted meals and frustrated owners.

Examples

  • A political scientist thanks his colleagues "for invaluable advice and criticism" and particular individuals among them "for unfailing optimism," "for wit," "for poetry," "for needed finickiness," and "for high design."

    Academic text (2001)
  • There are so many factors to take into consideration: their finickiness, what they can/can't chew, and if you have time to make homemade food in the midst of the madness.

    Blog text (1)
  • However, when a film receives a Metacritic score of 48, as in "Burlesque," or much less a 37 that "The Tourist" received, there is something to say about the finickiness of nominating said films for the distinction of Best Picture of the Year.

    Blog text (12)
  • Her finickiness about the cleanliness of the kitchen made it difficult for her to relax at home.

  • His finickiness over the details of the project caused delays, as he demanded constant revisions.

Synonyms

fussiness
vsfinickiness
1 5.7

A state of being easily upset or hard to please

is about needing special care and attention rather than emotional upset

Antonyms

71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

16 2.8

Lack of attention that causes mistakes or accidents

How Fussy

finickiness
8.0
fussiness
1 5.7

Surface Forms

finickiness singular
finickinesses plural

Morphology

finickiness = finicky (transparent) = finicky + ness

Standard nominalization of the adjective 'finicky' with '-ness' gives the state or quality of being finicky, which is directly predictable.

Etymology

Finickiness comes from the idea of being too fine, meaning 'delicate' or 'too exact' about small things, so someone with finickiness fusses over tiny details and is hard to please.