punctilious
[puhngk-til-ee-uhs]
- extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.
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Origin of punctilious
Synonyms
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
ceremonious, conscientious, conventional, exact, formal, fussy, heedful, meticulous, nice, observant, painstaking, particular, persnickety, precise, proper, punctual, scrupulous, strict, conscionable, formalisticExamples from the Web for punctilious
Contemporary Examples
The Tory revolutionary was so punctilious and respectful of her monarch it was almost embarrassing.
Denis Thatcher got on well with the Queen Mother, enjoyed a drink as much as she did, and was punctilious about royal protocol.
Historical Examples
Indeed I think you are too punctilious a great deal for you situation.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
The detectives had been punctilious to avoid ruffling the sensibilities of any and all.
From Place to PlaceIrvin S. Cobb
What he discovered justified all the years of punctilious discharge of his duties.
The StuttererR.R. Merliss
Their relation had never been sentimental, but he had always been punctilious.
The Coast of ChanceEsther Chamberlain
Now Pitt was neat and punctilious in his attire, but he was no dandy.
William Pitt and the Great WarJohn Holland Rose
punctilious
- paying scrupulous attention to correctness in etiquette
- attentive to detail
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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 punctilious
adj.
1630s, probably from Italian puntiglioso, from puntiglio "fine point," from Latin punctum "prick" (see point (n.)). Related: Punctiliously; punctiliousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper