fussiness
part of speech
noun (fussiness — usually uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) Being hard to please, especially about food, clothes or how things are done. tree →
2) Worrying too much about small details. tree →
3) Having too much decoration, so something looks busy and fiddly. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life «fussiness» usually means fussy eating, refusing foods. In stories it shows a character who is picky or anxious about small things. In art and design it criticises too many decorations. Phrases: fussiness about food, a fussy eater, without fussiness.
examples
- My little brother's fussiness about food drives Mum mad. tree →
- The cat's fussiness means it only eats one brand. tree →
- Her fussiness about tidy desks helps our group stay organised. tree →
- The teacher said the poster had too much fussiness and needed fewer colours. tree →
- Dad's fussiness over the car makes him wash it every Sunday. tree →
- Fussiness at dinner can mean missing out on new tastes. tree →
- Grandpa laughs at his own fussiness about the remote control. tree →
note
Uncountable: «his fussiness», not «a fussiness». Made from «fussy» (y → i + -ness). Similar words: pickiness, being choosy. It is not always bad: careful fussiness can stop mistakes.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «fussiness» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.