as in dreamer
a person who wants things to be done perfectly or who tries to do things perfectly
I'm a bit of a perfectionist, which makes it difficult for me to finish things sometimes.
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Recent Examples of perfectionist
The actress puts her Broadway chops to good use as the ambitious perfectionist (and Barbra Streisand obsessive) Rachel Berry on Glee, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the role.
—
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Kurtz said the partners are all perfectionists, and that carries over to their cup quality.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
Monsieur D’Estrées was a very strict teacher, a perfectionist.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vanity Fair, 30 Mar. 2026
Schaefer’s the perfectionist’s perfectionist.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
This means the perfectionist in you can zero in on the perfect shade of beige or blue without shelling out for customized covers.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Mar. 2026
As a teacher and mother—and lifelong perfectionist—I was used to tending to others’ emotional needs, anticipating them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Rumi, who’s a perfectionist, that leads to a lot of the darkness and her shadow side.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
One is a nomad, and one is an organized perfectionist.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Kurtz said the partners are all perfectionists, and that carries over to their cup quality.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
Monsieur D’Estrées was a very strict teacher, a perfectionist.
—Valentina Bottoni, Vanity Fair, 30 Mar. 2026
Schaefer’s the perfectionist’s perfectionist.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
This means the perfectionist in you can zero in on the perfect shade of beige or blue without shelling out for customized covers.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Mar. 2026
As a teacher and mother—and lifelong perfectionist—I was used to tending to others’ emotional needs, anticipating them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Rumi, who’s a perfectionist, that leads to a lot of the darkness and her shadow side.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
One is a nomad, and one is an organized perfectionist.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfectionist
dreamer
Noun
-
Konkoly, who is herself a lucid dreamer, told study participants to try working on the puzzle while asleep that night.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Others — the dreamers and grinders, as Spencer Nusbaum described yesterday — have to take second jobs to make ends meet while toiling away in minor-league baseball.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perfectionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfectionist. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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