Meaning & use
perfectionist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person who demands very high standards and is often unhappy when things are not flawless.
Grammar: Countable: a perfectionist, two perfectionists. Often used with the verb be or become.
Patterns
- be a perfectionist
- a perfectionist about something
- a perfectionist when it comes to something
She is a perfectionist about her work and checks every detail twice.
As a perfectionist, he finds it hard to accept anything less than the best.
The team hired a perfectionist to lead the project because quality mattered.
adjectivebefore a noun
Demanding extremely high standards; relating to or typical of a perfectionist.
Grammar: Used before a noun: perfectionist tendencies, a perfectionist attitude.
Patterns
- perfectionist tendencies
- perfectionist standards
- perfectionist approach
His perfectionist tendencies sometimes slow down the whole team.
She has a perfectionist approach to cooking and never serves a dish she considers imperfect.
Word forms
| plural | perfectionists |
|---|
Common combinations
- a complete perfectionist
- My father is a complete perfectionist when it comes to tidying the house.
- perfectionist tendencies
- Her perfectionist tendencies make her revise every email three times.
- a bit of a perfectionist
- I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I rarely finish things quickly.
- a perfectionist about
- He's a perfectionist about his garden; not a leaf is out of place.
Synonyms and how they differ
- idealist
- Focuses on believing in perfect standards rather than demanding flawless results; a perfectionist is more about behavior and dissatisfaction.
- stickler
- Emphasizes strict insistence on rules or details; a perfectionist emphasizes high standards and dislike of imperfection.
Opposites
Word family
- perfectionism noun
- The attitude or habit of demanding flawless standards.
- perfectionistic adjective
- Showing the qualities of a perfectionist; often used in psychology.
Commonly confused: perfectionist or perfection?
perfectionist vs perfection
Perfection is the state of being flawless; a perfectionist is a person who demands that state.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
A perfectionist is a countable noun, so it needs 'a' before it, and the usual preposition is 'about'. 'Perfectionist' without 'a' is wrong because it is not an adjective here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “perfectionist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.