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.
—
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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Still facing a stubborn staffing crunch, the New York City Department of Correction will require officers to work mandatory 12-hour tours in a number of city jails, a move immediately criticized by their union.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
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The financial outlook from nation’s largest retailer, which has thrived amid stubborn inflation, delivered a jolt across the retail sector.—
Anne D’Innocenzio,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For those unfamiliar with the Richard Linklater trilogy, the characters end up playing out their star signs perfectly: Scorpio (Jesse) is loyal to a fault, intensely romantic, dramatic, and even obsessive.—
Erika W. Smith,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
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Addiction and obsessive behavior are other targets of microdosers, as the drugs seem to tame cravings for more than just food.—
Beth Landman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Movano has thus far shown a dogged dedication to adhering to medical industry best practices and standards.—
Victoria Song,
The Verge,
7 Jan. 2025
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Apte does what the script requires as the dogged cop on his trial, even as Andrews has a bit of a more one-note role.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The state, through the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), mandates that health care facilities meet strict seismic safety standards.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
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Congress can revise eligibility for welfare benefits and impose stricter time limits, alleviating the cost to taxpayers and reducing incentives to enter the country illegally.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But both brown and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson – a marine biologist and policy expert – are adamant that modeling climate activism in popular culture need not be all about just ringing warning bells.—
Dan Heching,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
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Hamilton was adamant Ferrari had all the ingredients to win the world championship for the first time since 2008.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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