fastidious
Pronunciation: adjective. Synonyms: scrupulous, punctilious, painstaking
adjective
Definition of fastidious
showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please
Synonyms for fastidious
fastidious in a Sentence
- She is fastidious about her appearance, ensuring every detail is perfect.
Why fastidious Matters for GRE & SAT
"fastidious" is a adjective that means "showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please" closely related to words like "scrupulous", "punctilious", "painstaking". As a word starting with F, it belongs to a cluster of GRE and SAT vocabulary that test-takers often encounter in Verbal Reasoning, Text Completion, and Reading Comprehension sections.
On the GRE, understanding "fastidious" helps you distinguish between closely related answer choices in Sentence Equivalence questions. On the SAT, recognizing this word in context strengthens your performance on Craft & Structure and Words in Context questions. Seeing how "fastidious" is used in sentences — like the examples above — builds the contextual understanding that standardized tests reward.
Study tip: Start with the definition and part of speech (adjective). Then learn its 3 synonyms to build a word network. Finally, practice with spaced repetition to move "fastidious" into long-term memory.
How to Remember fastidious
One effective way to remember "fastidious" (adjective) is to group it with similar words you already know: "scrupulous" and "punctilious" and "painstaking". When you encounter "fastidious" on a test, these synonym connections help you quickly recall its meaning — "showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please".
Use flashcard apps with spaced repetition to review "fastidious" at increasing intervals until it becomes automatic.
More Vocabulary Words Starting with F
- fabricate — invent in order to deceive
- facetious — treating serious issues with inappropriate humor
- facilitate — To make an action or process easier
- facilitate — To make an action or process easier
- factious — causing division or disagreement
- factor — A circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result
- factor — A circumstance or element that contributes to a result
- fallacious — false or mistaken
- fallacy — A mistaken belief based on unsound reasoning
- fallible — capable of making an error