fussy

adjective

ˈfə-sē 

fussier; fussiest

1

: easily upset : irritable

2

: overly decorative

a fussy wallpaper pattern

3

a

: requiring or giving close attention to details

fussy bookkeeping procedures

b

: revealing a sometimes extreme concern for niceties : fastidious, picky

fussily

ˈfə-sə-lē 

adverb

fussiness

ˈfə-sē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• crabby
• cranky
• grouchy
• grumpy
• querulous

Examples of fussy in a Sentence

I'm not fussy about where we eat.

The room was cluttered and fussy.

Recent Examples on the Web

That gives you more options for getting fussy cats in or out. —Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024

Sheen plays Aziraphale, a fussy angel and rare-book dealer, while Tennant plays the fast-living demon Crowley. —Peter White, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024

The fluffy black brush is particularly helpful for shaping and perfecting her (super fussy) brow ends. —Sarah Han, Allure, 5 Sep. 2024

Leslie Kelly Connecting through food The restaurants at both Van Isle venues carry on the clever approach by delivering food that comes off as fun, not fussy. —Leslie Kelly, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Kids Definition

fussy

adjective

ˈfəs-ē 

fussier; fussiest

1

: inclined to complain or whine

a fussy child

2

a

: needing or giving much attention to details

a fussy job

b

: hard to please

fussy about food

fussily

ˈfəs-ə-lē 

adverb

fussiness

ˈfəs-ē-nəs 

noun