methodical

Rarely me·thod·ic

[muh-thod-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. performed, disposed, or acting in a systematic way; systematic; orderly.

   a methodical person.

   Synonyms: precise, regular

2. painstaking, especially slow and careful; deliberate.

methodical

/ mɪˈθɒdɪkəl /

adjective

1. characterized by method or orderliness; systematic

Other Word Forms

• methodicalness noun
• methodically adverb
• antimethodic adjective
• antimethodical adjective
• antimethodicalness noun
• nonmethodic adjective
• nonmethodical adjective
• nonmethodicalness noun
• premethodical adjective
• quasi-methodical adjective
• unmethodic adjective
• unmethodical adjective
• unmethodicalness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of methodical¹

First recorded in 1560–70; methodic, from Latin methodic(us) or directly from Greek methodikós; method, -ic + -al ¹

Synonym Study

See orderly.

Example Sentences

It’s so methodical and there’s something really unnerving about it.

From Los Angeles Times

Silver tends to be methodical when conducting a probe and is expected to act on what can be proved, not on the perception of wrongdoing.

From Los Angeles Times

In sharp contrast, the counter-resolution from party leaders doesn’t even lightly criticize Israel for its methodical large-scale killing of Palestinian people, which is now in its 23rd horrendous month.

From Salon

Look no further than the equally bombastic “My Mind Is a Mountain” and “Locked Club,” the menacing “Ecdysis,” the soaring Moreno-powered “I Think About You All the Time,” and the push-and-pull of the methodical “cxz.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sometimes she’s wearing a tightly laced corset, a wool minidress or a methodical two-piece set.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analytical 
• businesslike 
• careful 
• deliberate 
• disciplined 
• efficient 
• meticulous 
• orderly 
• painstaking 
• precise 
• scrupulous 
• structured 
• systematic