high-maintenance
adjective
high-main·te·nance
ˈhī-ˈmānt-nən(t)s 
-ˈmān-tə-nən(t)s
1
: requiring a large amount of care or maintenance
The high-maintenance "Dracula" orchid constantly needs high levels of humidity and cooler temperatures.—
Victoria Colliver
Victoria ColliverThey can't even afford the high-maintenance hairdos, let alone the Adidas sweats.—Gerri Hirshey
Gerri Hirshey2
of a person
: tending to cause problems or demand attention : extremely sensitive, demanding, or temperamental
Playing the victim gets you absolutely nowhere, and it only makes you seem tiring and high-maintenance to your boss.—Cosmopolitan
CosmopolitanMatthäus is the greatest German sweeper since Beckenbauer, but he's high-maintenance. At various times in his career, he has accused a ref of taking bribes, scrapped with a teammate and, three years ago, ripped his universally beloved German teammate Jürgen Klinsmann in a tell-all book.—Jeff Bradley
Jeff BradleyExamples of high-maintenance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And, of course, there was the impostor Case Keenum, a miscast backup, and the high-maintenance Russell Wilson, who hit the right notes off the field, especially in visits to hospitals, but never found his fit in coach Sean Payton’s offense or the locker room.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 July 2025
The agreements would also stipulate who must maintain the infrastructure improvements, which could be especially important for high-maintenance items like water features, lighting or landscaping.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
In a frantic race against time, struggling actress Anne must juggle chaos—and a high-maintenance dog named Macy, as a series of mishaps threaten her chance at a career-changing audition.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
On the June 4 episode of his New Heights podcast with brother Travis Kelce, Jason explained that his daughters are high-maintenance.
—Dayna Haffenden, People.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for high-maintenance
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 July 2025
The agreements would also stipulate who must maintain the infrastructure improvements, which could be especially important for high-maintenance items like water features, lighting or landscaping.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
In a frantic race against time, struggling actress Anne must juggle chaos—and a high-maintenance dog named Macy, as a series of mishaps threaten her chance at a career-changing audition.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
On the June 4 episode of his New Heights podcast with brother Travis Kelce, Jason explained that his daughters are high-maintenance.
—Dayna Haffenden, People.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for high-maintenance
Cite this Entry
“High-maintenance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-maintenance. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share