anal-retentive
anal-retentive — 形容詞
1. describes someone who pays extreme attention to small details and organisation,
潔癖的
對整潔過度講究的
describes someone who pays extreme attention to small details and organisation, often to the point that it slows things down or frustrates other people.
The librarian was so anal-retentive that she re-shelved books by spine colour after hours.
那位圖書館員有嚴重的潔癖，下班後還會按書脊顏色重新排書。
collocation: so + adj + that-clause
The night-shift nurse's anal-retentive habits meant every supply drawer was arranged in perfect rows.
那位大夜班護士的潔癖習慣，讓每個補給抽屜都排列得整整齊齊。
collocation: anal-retentive habits
Akira's anal-retentive approach to filing made it impossible for colleagues to find anything.
Akira 對歸檔吹毛求疵的態度，讓同事們根本找不到任何文件。
The chef's anal-retentive ways meant every plate had exactly seventeen dots of sauce.
那位廚師的潔癖到了走火入魔的程度，每盤菜都剛好放十七滴醬汁。
Mei-Lin's anal-retentive need to colour-code shared folders made her thirty minutes late for the meeting.
Mei-Lin 因為有潔癖，把所有共享資料夾按顏色分類，結果開會遲到了半小時。
- perfectionistic
broader meaning — covers all areas of striving for flawlessness, not just tidiness
- fussy
more informal; emphasises being hard to please over minor details
- finicky
emphasises being overly particular, often about food, clothing, or appearance
文法句型
be + anal-retentive
anal-retentive about + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Often reduced to 'anal' in very informal speech, though this can sound crude to some listeners. The full hyphenated form is the standard polite choice.
常見錯誤
anal-retentive — 名詞
1. someone who cares too much about neatness and order, organising every small thin
有潔癖者
過度講究整潔的人
someone who cares too much about neatness and order, organising every small thing to an extreme degree.
The new office manager was a real anal-retentive who colour-coded every folder in the cupboard.
新來的辦公室經理是個超級有潔癖的人，每個檔案夾都按顏色歸類。
collocation: a real anal-retentive
My flatmate is an anal-retentive who insists that towels be folded into neat rectangles.
我的室友是個有潔癖的人，堅持毛巾一定要折成整齊的長方形。
collocation: an anal-retentive who + verb
Dr Osei called himself a reformed anal-retentive who learned to tolerate mess at home.
Osei 醫生自稱是已經改過的潔癖者，學會了在家裡忍受髒亂。
The team's anal-retentive spent twenty minutes rearranging the whiteboard markers by colour.
團隊裡那個有潔癖的人花了二十分鐘重新按顏色排列白板筆。
Javier, an anal-retentive, could not focus on his slides because the marker rack was uneven.
Javier 是個有潔癖的人，看到白板筆架歪了就沒辦法專心準備投影片。
- perfectionist
broader meaning — not specific to tidiness or organisation
- neat freak
informal; stronger and specifically about cleanliness and order
- stickler
emphasises insisting on rules or precise standards
- slob
informal and strong — someone who is very untidy or lazy about cleaning
- free spirit
someone who does not follow rigid routines or worry about order
文法句型
a/an + anal-retentive
the + anal-retentive
possessive + anal-retentive
用法筆記
Less common than the adjective. When used as a noun, it is often preceded by modifiers like 'real', 'total', or 'complete' to add emphasis.