punctual
[puhngk-choo-uh l]
- 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.
- punctilious.
Show More
Origin of punctual
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for unpunctual
uneven, intermittent, capricious, unreliable, sporadic, jerky, erratic, slow, last-minute, unpaid, tardy, delinquent, belated, outstanding, tedious, stiff, gradual, tame, stagnant, lowExamples from the Web for unpunctual
Historical Examples of unpunctual
What a disgraceful thing it was for the Lilac to be so unpunctual.
Seven Little People and their FriendsHorace Elisha Scudder
But Lucy at last was unpunctual in her visits to the Wilderness.
It's odd that even at your father's funeral you should be so unpunctual.
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky
Poets are dreamy and unpractical and unpunctual—it's their nature.
But of all men alive Dolly Longstaff was the most unpunctual.
The Duke's ChildrenAnthony Trollope
punctual
- 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
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for unpunctual
punctual
c.1400, from Medieval Latin punctualis, from Latin punctus "a pricking" (see point (n.)). Originally "having a sharp point; of the nature of a point;" meaning "prompt" first recorded 1670s, from notion of "insisting on fine points." Related: Punctually.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper