Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

high-maintenance

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.52 in modern English

Syllables: high---main-te-nance
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

6

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down.

adj

Requiring a lot of attention or reassurance; emotionally needy

Derogatory

Example Sentences

"He has this incredibly high-maintenance girlfriend; if he doesn't tell her that he loves her every five minutes, she tends to break down into hysterical depressive weepy fits."
"There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance."

Etymology

According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the figurative sense was popularized by the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally....

Usage

Derogatory

Inflected Forms

more high-maintenance (comparative) most high-maintenance (superlative)

Frequently Paired Words

brittle finicky temperamental

Antonyms

low-maintenance

Questions

What does high-maintenance mean?: Requiring a high degree of maintenance to ensure proper functioning, and without which it is likely to break down.
Where does high-maintenance come from?: According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the figurative sense was popularized by the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally....

How to pronounce high-maintenance

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