anal-retentive

adjective

Definition of anal-retentivenext
as in stubborn
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise My anal-retentive brother keeps records of everything that happens in his life.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal-retentive
  1. stubborn
  2. obsessive
  3. dogged
  4. strict
  5. adamant
Adjective
  • One daughter, loving but stubborn, leaves for Vilna to study nursing.
    — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The true top is still stubborn, though: In 2023 women made up just over 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, 9% of the FTSE CEOs, and 5.4% of CEOs of the S&P Global Broad Market Index.
    — Kweilin Ellingrud, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of stubborn
Adjective
  • Extreme deficits may lead to obsessive food tracking, anxiety around eating, or disordered eating patterns.
    — Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The remainder of the season Players have been encouraged by Howe to absorb the significance of their achievement, but this obsessive head coach will swiftly refocus — and then extend that message to the squad.
    — Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of obsessive
Adjective
  • The dogged detective is played by Peter Eggers, Sweden’s answer to Michael Fassbender (no bad angles), and is directed by Lisa Siwe, director of the OG Nordic thriller series The Bridge (see below).
    — Andrea Duncan-Mao, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
  • The cold case had been solved through DNA evidence left on Karen’s clothes and the dogged work of Sunnyvale Police Detective Matthew Hutchison, who knew of the case growing up as the stepson of a Sunnyvale officer who often talked about the case.
    — Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of dogged
Adjective
  • The reporting requirements for school officials who suspect abuse have become stricter in the last 20 years, Pernerewski notes.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 23 Mar. 2025
  • For instance, while Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert may try to adhere to a strict framing, Mulaney prefers a more meandering format between himself and announcer Richard Kind.
    — Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of strict
Adjective
  • Theoretically, then, the pressure is off, but Howe is adamant this season cannot be allowed to peter out.
    — Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
  • And while head coach Carlo Ancelotti was adamant that Alvarez kicked the ball twice, Simeone wasn’t having any of it after being shown a clip of it by Movistar prior to heading to his post-match press conference.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of adamant

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Cite this Entry

“Anal-retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal-retentive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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