methodical
Americanadjective
-
performed, disposed, or acting in a systematic way; systematic; orderly.
a methodical person.
-
painstaking, especially slow and careful; deliberate.
adjective
Related Words
See orderly.
Other Word Forms
- antimethodic adjective
- antimethodical adjective
- antimethodicalness noun
- methodically adverb
- methodicalness noun
- nonmethodic adjective
- nonmethodical adjective
- nonmethodicalness noun
- premethodical adjective
- quasi-methodical adjective
- unmethodic adjective
- unmethodical adjective
- unmethodicalness noun
Etymology
Origin of methodical
First recorded in 1560–70; methodic, from Latin methodic(us) or directly from Greek methodikós; method, -ic + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was this methodical jigsaw of footage that allowed police to arrest McCullagh for a second time and seize his computer.
From BBC
His evolution from snarling, combustible forward to considered, methodical manager has surprised some people who may not have followed his career as closely once he had retired.
From BBC
“I think we need to be more methodical about this,” he says.
From Literature
His approach to his mother’s secret is as methodical as his unraveling of Peggy’s murder.
Instead, Pegula tends to go about her business quietly, relying on a calm temperament and a methodical style that wears opponents down over time.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
