PERFECTIONISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does perfectionism mean? 

• PERFECTIONISM (noun)
  The noun PERFECTIONISM has 1 sense:

1. a disposition to feel that anything less than perfect is unacceptable

  Familiarity information: PERFECTIONISM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERFECTIONISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A disposition to feel that anything less than perfect is unacceptable

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

his perfectionism seemed excessive to his students

Hypernyms ("perfectionism" is a kind of...):

disposition; temperament (your usual mood)

Derivation:

perfectionist (a person who is displeased by anything that does not meet very high standards)

 Context examples 

A disorder characterized by an enduring pattern of inflexibility, extreme orderliness, and perfectionism which interfere with efficiency and which may manifest in many different contexts, including work and leisure activities, financial matters, and issues of morality or ethics.

(Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)