hard-to-please
Definition
- Adjective:
- Difficult to satisfy or please: Describes a person who has high standards, is very particular, or is not easily made content or happy with something.
Usage
- This adjective is used to describe a person's character or disposition. It typically precedes the noun it modifies or follows a linking verb like "be" or "seem."
- It is a compound adjective, often hyphenated when used before a noun.
Examples
- Adjective:
- She is a hard-to-please critic who rarely gives a positive review.
- My grandfather was hard-to-please when it came to food.
- Catering to a hard-to-please client requires extra patience and attention to detail.
Advanced Usage
- "to be hard to please": This is the common phrasal form, often used without hyphens when it follows a verb.
- The audience was hard to please that night.
- The term often implies that the person has exacting, demanding, or finicky tastes.
Variants and Related Words
- Fastidious (adj): Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail, or very concerned about cleanliness.
- Fussy (adj): Difficult to please; excessively concerned with minor details.
- Demanding (adj): Requiring much skill, effort, or attention.
- Exacting (adj): Making great demands on one's skill, attention, or other resources.
- Picky (adj, informal): Excessively careful or choosy.
Synonyms
- Choosy
- Discriminating
- Finicky
- Particular
- Selective
Antonyms
- Easygoing
- Undemanding
- Easy to please
- Acquiescent
Related Phrases
- A tough/hard customer: An informal idiom for a person who is hard to please or difficult to deal with.
- Be careful when negotiating with him; he's a tough customer.
- To have high standards: An idiom meaning to expect excellent quality or performance.
- She has very high standards, which is why she's so hard to please.
Adjective
-
(of persons) "his father was a hard-to-please taskmaster"
-
was very hard to please
-
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ tương tự
Từ chứa "hard-to-please"
