meticulous

[ muh-tik-yuh-luhs ]
See synonyms for: meticulousmeticulouslymeticulousness on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. finicky; fussy: meticulous adherence to technicalities.

Origin of meticulous

1
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)

synonym study For meticulous

1. See painstaking.

Other words for meticulous

Opposites for meticulous

Other words from meticulous

  • me·tic·u·lous·ly, adverb
  • me·tic·u·los·i·ty [muh-tik-yuh-los-i-tee], /məˌtɪk yəˈlɒs ɪ ti/, me·tic·u·lous·ness, noun
  • un·me·tic·u·lous, adjective
  • un·me·tic·u·lous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use meticulous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meticulous

meticulous

/ (mɪˈtɪkjʊləs) /


adjective
  1. very precise about details, even trivial ones; painstaking

Origin of meticulous

1
C16 (meaning: timid): from Latin meticulōsus fearful, from metus fear

Derived forms of meticulous

  • meticulously, adverb
  • meticulousness, 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