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punctual

[ puhngk-choo-uhl ]
/ ˈpʌŋk tʃu əl /
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See synonyms for: punctual / punctually on Thesaurus.com

adjective
strictly observant of an appointed or regular time; not late; prompt.
made, occurring, etc., at the scheduled or proper time: punctual payment.
pertaining to or of the nature of a point.
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Origin of punctual

1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin pūnctuālis of a point, equivalent to Latin pūnctu(s) a point, a pricking (pung(ere) to prick + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ālis-al1; see pungent

OTHER WORDS FROM punctual

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH punctual

punctilious, punctual
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use punctual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for punctual

punctual
/ (ˈpʌŋktjʊəl) /

adjective
arriving or taking place at an arranged time; prompt
(of a person) having the characteristic of always keeping to arranged times, as for appointments, meetings, etc
obsolete precise; exact; apposite
maths consisting of or confined to a point in space

Derived forms of punctual

punctuality, nounpunctually, adverb

Word Origin for punctual

C14: from Medieval Latin punctuālis concerning detail, from Latin punctum point
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
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