meticulous
Americanadjective
Related Words
See painstaking.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meticulous
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin metīculōsus “full of fear, fearful,” equivalent to metī- for metū- (stem of metus “fear”) + -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus “dangerous” ( see perilous)
Explanation
Someone who is meticulous pays extreme attention to detail. If that person is, say, your surgeon or your accountant, you'll definitely want them to be meticulous! The Latin root of meticulous is metus, which means "fear." Someone who's meticulous is afraid of what will happen if they're not careful enough to get every detail right. "Detail-oriented" and "perfectionist" are other ways of describing someone who cares deeply about the small things and about getting things exactly right, every time. Concert pianists must be meticulous, because audiences are always listening for wrong notes.
Vocabulary lists containing meticulous
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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List 2
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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.
Det Supt Stacey Murray, who is leading the investigation for Norfolk Police, said: "I want to reassure everyone that we are being meticulous in our approach to this investigation."
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Before Gomez purchased the property six years ago, it underwent a meticulous renovation and is now described as a “private celebrity compound” that “evokes a magical vision of romance, inspiration, and tranquility.”
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Roberts has been working with Saar for 15 years and it’s because of Saar’s meticulous compulsion to keep and collect that she feels like there is still more to learn and share about the artist.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
A decided positivism—the painstaking naturalism of the pre-Darwinian life sciences, with their attention to the taxonomy, function and illustration of biological forms—made itself felt in his work habits and in his meticulous drawings.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Her hands fly up to her perfect, glossy red hair, brushing it back into her meticulous bun.
From "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard
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.
