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Fastidious vs Thorough - What's the difference?

fastidious | thorough |

As adjectives the difference between fastidious and thorough

is that fastidious is excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness while thorough is painstaking and careful not to miss or omit any detail.

As a preposition thorough is

through.

As a noun thorough is

a furrow between two ridges, to drain off the surface water.

fastidious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.
  • * 2008 , Robert Fisher, Memory Road , [http://books.google.com/books?id=TGyAvuZt5VoC&pg=PA37&dq=his+fastidious+nature+clean&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4WCLUNmDLbPF0AGpmoDgDQ&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBQ]:
    • His fastidious nature had been evident in his careful snipping of a customer's hair and now he guided his pencil with the same adroitness.
  • * 2004 , Maria Osborne Perr, Ravished Wings , [http://books.google.com/books?id=GEno70HQAQgC&pg=PA153&dq=his+fastidious+nature+clean&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4WCLUNmDLbPF0AGpmoDgDQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw]:
    • As she cleaned the room daily, she knew it was against his fastidious nature to bring or have food in his room.
  • * 2003 , Lynsay Sands, Single White Vampire :
  • * He had at first tried to clean up as they ate, his fastidious nature kicking in, but Chris had told him to just stop, he was blocking the TV.
  • Difficult to please; quick to find fault.
  • * 1897 , ,
    • "It's burn[t], M'sieur," said Marie Louise, politely, but decidedly, to the utter confusion of Mr. Billy, who was as mortified as could be at the failure of his dinner to please his fastidious little visitor.
  • * 1881 , ,
    • You're too fastidious, and too indolent, and too rich.

    Synonyms

    * (excessively particular) exacting, fussy, meticulous * See also

    See also

    * finicky

    External links

    * * *

    thorough

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * thoro

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • painstaking and careful not to miss or omit any detail
    • The Prime Minister announced a thorough investigation into the death of a father of two in police custody.
    He is the most thorough worker I have ever seen.
    The infested house needs a thorough cleansing before it will be inhabitable.
  • utter; complete; absolute
    • It is a thorough pleasure to see him beg for mercy.
    Derived terms
    * thoroughbred * thoroughgoing * thoroughly

    Etymology 2

    A disyllabic form of (etyl) .

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • (obsolete) Through.
  • * , II.xii:
    • Ye might haue seene the frothy billowes fry / Vnder the ship, as thorough them she went [...].
  • * 1599 , , V. i. 109:
    • You are contented to be led in triumph / Thorough the streets of Rome?

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (UK, dialect) A furrow between two ridges, to drain off the surface water.
    • (Halliwell)