meticulous

[ muh-tik-yuh-luhs ]

/ məˈtɪk yə ləs /

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adjective

taking or showing extreme care about minute details; precise; thorough: a meticulous craftsman; meticulous personal appearance.

finicky; fussy: meticulous adherence to technicalities.

Nearby words

Origin of meticulous

1525–35; < Latin metīculōsus full of fear, fearful, equivalent to metī- for metū- (stem of metus fear) + -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus perilous

SYNONYMS FOR meticulous

1. exact, strict, scrupulous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR meticulous ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR meticulous

1, 2. careless.

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Related forms

me·tic·u·lous·ly, adverbme·tic·u·lous·ness, me·tic·u·los·i·ty

[muh-tik-yuh-los-i-tee] /məˌtɪk yəˈlɒs ɪ ti/, nounun·me·tic·u·lous, adjectiveun·me·tic·u·lous·ly, adverb

un·me·tic·u·lous·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. See painstaking.

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

Examples from the Web for meticulous

Rick suggests a Woodbury-esque sneak attack on the hospital and lays out a meticulous strategy relying heavily on timing and luck.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a line of business built on meticulous order, the inner workings of Spinal Solutions were a study in disorder.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without overshadowing his talented counterparts, Cedar commands the stage with a meticulous mix of stoicism and candor.
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson (And Tolstoy and Dickens)|Samuel Fragoso|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It took a special, meticulous kind of person to accomplish the undertaking, someone with brains, patience, and nerves of steel.
The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s|J. North Conway|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He admitted responsibility without hesitation, and in meticulous, grisly detail.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One by one, with meticulous nicety, he painted all his finger nails a bright and cheery yellow.
Half Portions|Edna Ferber
He enamelled his theme with the meticulous care of a jeweller.
Legends & Romances of Spain|Lewis Spence
Dr. Libbard took out his fountain-pen, and in his neat, meticulous calligraphy wrote out a prescription for a sleeping draught.
Mortal Coils|Aldous Huxley
It is impossible to give you an idea of such a meticulous neatness.
Falk|Joseph Conrad
Csar alone would listen without being impatient to the meticulous narratives Ignacio told about the things that happened at home.
Csar or Nothing|Po Baroja Baroja

British Dictionary definitions for meticulous

meticulous

/ (mɪˈtɪkjʊləs) /

adjective

very precise about details, even trivial ones; painstaking

Derived Formsmeticulously, adverbmeticulousness, noun

Word Origin for meticulous

C16 (meaning: timid): from Latin meticulōsus fearful, from metus fear

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 meticulous

meticulous

adj.

1530s, "fearful, timid," from Latin meticulosus "fearful, timid," literally "full of fear," from metus "fear, dread, apprehension, anxiety," of unknown origin. Sense of "fussy about details" is first recorded in English 1827, from French méticuleux "timorously fussy." Related: Meticulosity.

meticulous

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of meticulous

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for meticulous

meticulous

adjective

Word Origin for meticulous

meticulous