methodical

[muh-thod-i-kuhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR methodical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

performed, disposed, or acting in a systematic way; systematic; orderly: a methodical person.

painstaking, especially slow and careful; deliberate.

RELATED WORDS

Also me·thod·ic.

Origin of methodical

1560–70; methodic (< Latin methodic(us) < Greek methodikós; see method, -ic) + -al¹

Related formsme·thod·i·cal·ly, adverbme·thod·i·cal·ness, nounan·ti·me·thod·ic, adjectivean·ti·me·thod·i·cal, adjectivean·ti·me·thod·i·cal·ly, adverban·ti·me·thod·i·cal·ness, nounnon·me·thod·ic, adjectivenon·me·thod·i·cal, adjectivenon·me·thod·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·me·thod·i·cal·ness, nounpre·me·thod·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-me·thod·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-me·thod·i·cal·ly, adverbun·me·thod·ic, adjectiveun·me·thod·i·cal, adjectiveun·me·thod·i·cal·ly, adverbun·me·thod·i·cal·ness, noun

Synonyms for methodical

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR methodical ON THESAURUS.COM

1. precise. See orderly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for methodical

Far from a rant, her tone throughout is cool and methodical, and her critiques are couched more in sorrow than in anger.
Was Reporter Sharyl Attkisson Too Right-Wing for CBS?|Lloyd Grove|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The opening scene of the film illustrates the methodical and gruesome nature of the abuses.
Whistleblower Exposes India’s Murderous Cops|Simran Jeet Singh|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The yellow ticking clock that punctuates every episode of 24 is simultaneously bombastic, methodical, menacing, and relentless.
‘Live Another Day’ Review: Can Jack Bauer Save ‘24’ From Itself?|Jason Lynch|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If Washington is to adopt a tougher stance toward Beijing, it needs a lot of methodical calculation.
Time to Get Tough With China?|Leslie H. Gelb|December 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It was thorough and methodical, like a medical examination: a routine in which a professional inspects the body of a patient.
Tilda Swinton and Oliver Saillard Perform the Creation of Fashion in ‘Eternity Dress’|Sarah Moroz|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He then acknowledged that the notion of "a methodical regularity" in the Essay on Criticism was a "groundless opinion."
The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 (of 10)|Alexander Pope
Yet Jacob Henderson was fair and square, business-like and methodical.
Michael, Brother of Jerry|Jack London
A further hindrance to improvement in plant description was the lack of a methodical terminology.
Herbals, Their Origin and Evolution|Agnes Arber
One finds the experimental and methodical at every turn throughout these compositions.
Musical Portraits|Paul Rosenfeld
His pupils were very numerous, and the school formed by them was called the Methodical.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for methodical

methodical

less commonly methodic

adjective

characterized by method or orderliness; systematic

Derived Formsmethodically, adverbmethodicalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for methodical

adj.

1560s, with -al (1) and methodic (1540s), from Middle French methodique, from Late Latin methodicus, from Greek methodikos, from methodos (see method). Related: Methodically.