as in stubborn
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
My anal-retentive brother keeps records of everything that happens in his life.
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Recent Examples of anal-retentive
But there would be no grease-drinking, Judas-playing Sandy without his anal-retentive best friend, Reuben Feffer.
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Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
Conventional management practices suppress everything that isn’t vine by mowing, tilling, and spraying herbicide with an intensity that ranges from anal-retentive to paranoid.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024
One might be forgiven for also thinking that the identification is not so much between the audience and the killer as between Fincher, who is known as something of a filmmaking fusspot, and his anal-retentive central character.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
Conventional management practices suppress everything that isn’t vine by mowing, tilling, and spraying herbicide with an intensity that ranges from anal-retentive to paranoid.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024
One might be forgiven for also thinking that the identification is not so much between the audience and the killer as between Fincher, who is known as something of a filmmaking fusspot, and his anal-retentive central character.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal-retentive
Adjective
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The Fed’s preferred inflation measure — the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — is due Friday and could similarly show stubborn price pressures.Bryan Mena, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
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While the overall economic picture is starting to look better, stubborn inflation and the prospect of new tariffs when President-elect Donald Trump takes office seem to give mid-market leaders pause.Megan Poinski, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In other words, if a team hones in on an almost obsessive drive to improve, the outcomes will take care of themselves.Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 23 Nov. 2024
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This gloriously obsessive enterprise could only originate from the enthusiastic fervor of a fan — which Sean very much is.Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Though the Dodgers reportedly had the most funds available to spend on the 2024 class, Sasaki’s apparent shift to the 2025 class should not sway much in what is expected to be a dogged pursuit of the Japanese right-hander.Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Dec. 2024
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The test came back and revealed the Warriors didn’t have enough shooters, nor enough playmakers to handle Minnesota’s dogged ball pressure.Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Either way, stricter regulations likely won’t be in place to impact this winter season, and despite the unease expressed by locals, mass tourism to Rovaniemi is probably only going to grow in 2025 — as visitors want to experience the unique atmosphere up north, especially during the holiday season.CNN, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
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Essentially, this meant that Google would reject emails addressed to Gmail users that didn’t meet strict new email domain authentication rules.Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The company has long maintained that privacy is a fundamental human right and has been adamant that the information stored on its devices be accessible only to the people that own them.Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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Despite the abuse Drea and her kids have experienced, the mother of three is adamant about keeping her ex-husband’s last name.Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near anal-retentive
Cite this Entry
“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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