punctilious

American  

[puhngk-til-ee-uhs] / pʌŋkˈtɪl i əs /

adjective

1. extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.

   Synonyms:

   conscientious, careful, demanding, precise

   Antonyms:

   careless

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punctilious British  

/ pʌŋkˈtɪlɪəs /

adjective

1. paying scrupulous attention to correctness in etiquette

2. attentive to detail

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Related Words

See scrupulous.

Other Word Forms

• punctiliously adverb
• punctiliousness noun
• unpunctilious adjective
• unpunctiliously adverb
• unpunctiliousness noun

Etymology

Origin of punctilious

First recorded in 1625–35; punctili(o) + -ous

Example Sentences

“Yermak was more a sort of instinctual negotiator…Budanov has his instincts, but I think he’s going to be much more punctilious about the preparations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

The peppiest single Joel ever made might get even closer to Motown’s classic Holland-Dozier-Holland sound than Phil Collins did a year earlier in his punctilious remake of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

By its very nature the justice system is glacial, methodical, punctilious, and backward-looking in ways that make keeping up with the well-resourced, wealthy career criminal supremely challenging.

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2024

And that doesn’t even include the host of honest mistakes that can and do occur filling out the mountains of punctilious paperwork after a 16-hour day.

From Salon • Sep. 15, 2024

Her mother wanted to say something, she could tell, and the set smile, the punctilious gestures, were a beginning.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie