definitions

punctual

[ puhngk-choo-uh l ]
/ ˈpʌŋk tʃu əl /
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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.
punctilious.

RELATED WORDS

uneven, intermittent, capricious, unreliable, sporadic, jerky, erratic, slow, last-minute, unpaid, tardy, delinquent, belated, outstanding, tedious, stiff, gradual, tame, stagnant, low

Nearby words

punctatim, punctation, punctiform, punctilio, punctilious, punctual, punctuality, punctuate, punctuated equilibrium, punctuation, punctuation mark

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

Related forms

Can be confused

punctilious punctual
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unpunctual

British Dictionary definitions for unpunctual

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

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