khoảnh khoái
Definition
- Adjective:
- Capricious, finicky, or overly particular: Describes a person, especially a woman, who is excessively fussy, hard to please, or has whimsical and unpredictable demands regarding tastes, habits, or standards.
- Prim and proper (with a negative connotation): Suggests a person who is affectedly refined, fastidious, or snobbish, often leading to alienation from others.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cô ấy nổi tiếng là người khoảnh khoái, khó chiều lòng. (She is known as a capricious person, hard to please.)
- Tính khoảnh khoái của bà ta khiến bà ta xa lánh mọi người. (Her finicky nature causes her to distance herself from everyone.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is considered somewhat archaic or literary in modern Vietnamese and carries a distinctly negative judgment. It is often used to criticize someone's character, implying their behavior is unreasonable and causes social isolation.
Variants and Related Words
- Khoảnh (adj): A shorter, more common form meaning finicky, fussy, or picky.
- Anh chàng đó ăn uống rất khoảnh. (That guy is very picky about food.)
Synonyms
- Finicky: Excessively particular or fussy.
- Capricious: Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
- Fastidious: Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail, or being hard to please.
- Snobbish: Characteristic of a snob; feeling superior to others.
Related Idioms
- Khoảnh như mụ gia: To be as finicky as an old maid (a pejorative idiom emphasizing excessive and unreasonable fussiness).
- Đừng có khoảnh như mụ gia thế! (Don't be so finicky like an old maid!)