high-maintenance

adjective

high-main·​te·​nance ˈhī-ˈmānt-nən(t)s 

-ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s

1

: requiring a large amount of care or maintenance

The high-maintenance "Dracula" orchid constantly needs high levels of humidity and cooler temperatures.

—Victoria Colliver

They can't even afford the high-maintenance hairdos, let alone the Adidas sweats.

—Gerri Hirshey

2

of a person : tending to cause problems or demand attention : extremely sensitive, demanding, or temperamental

Playing the victim gets you absolutely nowhere, and it only makes you seem tiring and high-maintenance to your boss.

—Cosmopolitan

Matthäus is the greatest German sweeper since Beckenbauer, but he's high-maintenance. At various times in his career, he has accused a ref of taking bribes, scrapped with a teammate and, three years ago, ripped his universally beloved German teammate Jürgen Klinsmann in a tell-all book.

—Jeff Bradley

Examples of high-maintenance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an era where extreme weather is pushing flood control infrastructure to its limits, scientists say beavers are proving that, sometimes, the best way to fix a broken system isn’t by building more high-maintenance infrastructure—but by restoring the natural processes that once kept it in balance. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

The shift from high-maintenance colors to simple cuts and styles can largely be attributed to the high value placed on hair health in recent years. —Ariana Quihuiz, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025

Everyone knows California is disaster-prone, but there’s a familiar logic to the calamitous geography in this high-maintenance beauty of a state. —Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Complaints, impossible requests, and high-maintenance personalities can stretch anyone’s patience. —Sho Dewan, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for high-maintenance

• maintenance