How to Use fussy in a Sentence

fussy

adjective
  • The room was cluttered and fussy.
  • I'm not fussy about where we eat.
  • Hays was fussier and cried more.
    — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Long car rides can make for fussy, restless kids.
    — Dr. Katherine Williamson, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2026
  • For the least fussy dessert, go for a stovetop crisp.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The hair isn’t fussy—blown out straight with a bit of a flip at the end.
    — Margaux Anbouba, ELLE, 31 July 2023
  • If three feels too fussy, look for a couch with a bench cushion.
    — Washington Post, 17 July 2020
  • Maybe a tent is being fussy, maybe your raft frame is a bit loose.
    — Outside Online, 23 May 2022
  • That gives you more options for getting fussy cats in or out.
    — Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Bras pair with wearable pumps so sessions feel less fussy.
    — Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Hardy geraniums are not fussy about soil type.
    — Lauren David, Southern Living, 4 June 2026
  • Keys will talk about how to skip over the fussy plant prima donnas.
    — Courant Community, 16 May 2017
  • This might seem fussy, but no one likes watery pimiento cheese.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The overall idea is to wear it a bit laidback, and not too fussy.
    — Kerry Pieri, Vogue, 17 July 2025
  • While some recipes are slightly fussy, each step is worth the effort.
    — Genevieve Yam, Bon Appétit, 17 Oct. 2023
  • That sweet spot — not wacky, not fussy — is key, Almonte said.
    — Mari-Jane Williams, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2020
  • The ready-to-eat apple outpaced its fussier cousin long ago.
    — Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 26 Nov. 2025
  • But all of that felt a little fussy for something that should just have one job.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 May 2025
  • Arrangements don’t need to be fussy.
    — James T. Farmer, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The meals became about the people, and the food, while good, wasn’t fussy.
    — Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 June 2021
  • For most people, the drug doesn’t come with fussy rules about when it should be taken.
    — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2026
  • But my approach to my own beauty is pretty easy and not fussy.
    — Tiffany Dodson, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Creating white noise is a great way to lull a fussy baby to sleep.
    — Nora Colomer, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Lots of fussy bow-tie types yammering about Renoir.
    — Peter Bogdanovich, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
  • The plant is also fussy about warmth; too much summer heat and the leaves and fruit will scorch.
    — John Tlumacki, The Boston Globe, National Geographic, 25 Nov. 2020
  • Be ready to relocate to swifter sections if the pool fish are too fussy.
    — Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 1 Mar. 2021
  • The key is keeping things streamlined so a strapless bra may be too fussy.
    — Teen Vogue, 6 June 2019
  • It was looked polished but not fussy, much like the actor himself.
    — Max Berlinger, GQ, 7 May 2017
  • Again, economists will be fussy about what can be called an anomaly.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The pool has a shallow area to splash around in, and chefs are happy to work around fussy palates.
    — Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fussy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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