meticulous

[muh-tik-yuh-luhs]

adjective

1. taking or showing extreme care about minute details; precise; thorough.

   a meticulous craftsman;

   meticulous personal appearance.

   Synonyms: scrupulous, strict, exact
   Antonyms: careless

2. finicky; fussy.

   meticulous adherence to technicalities.

   Antonyms: careless

meticulous

/ mɪˈtɪkjʊləs /

adjective

1. very precise about details, even trivial ones; painstaking

Other Word Forms

• meticulousness noun
• meticulously adverb
• meticulosity noun
• unmeticulous adjective
• unmeticulousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of meticulous¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin metīculōsus “full of fear, fearful,” equivalent to metī- for metū- (stem of metus “fear”) + -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus “dangerous” ( perilous )

Word History and Origins

Origin of meticulous¹

C16 (meaning: timid): from Latin meticulōsus fearful, from metus fear

Synonym Study

See painstaking.

Example Sentences

Herbert is meticulous down to the smallest detail.

From Los Angeles Times

“These cases are layered, meticulous, require months of investigation,” said Johnson during a news conference.

From Los Angeles Times

The line between fandom and fermenting cultures blurs, and soon, it seems, a new kind of devotion might take shape: obsessive, meticulous, generous, communal.

From Salon

Friends and members of the fishing community along the West Coast and in Alaska are mourning the loss of Kawahara, whom they described as an experienced, meticulous fisherman.

From Los Angeles Times

A supervisor who oversaw Lloyd at Internal Affairs — and requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media — described him as smart, meticulous and “a bulldog.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accurate 
• cautious 
• conscientious 
• exact 
• fastidious 
• fussy 
• painstaking 
• precise 
• scrupulous 
• strict 
• thorough