The original meaning of punctual described a puncture made by a surgeon. The word has meant lots of other things through the centuries, usually involving being precise about small points. And today punctuality is all about time; a punctual train or a punctual payment or a punctual person shows up "on the dot".
Recent Examples on the WebThe plot — conceived by Guest, McKean, Reiner, and Shearer — sees Spinal Tap, England’s loudest and most punctual band, reunite following a 15-year hiatus for one final concert.—Alex Ritman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 But the agency must look deep inside and recognize that the world is pressing it to produce shorter and more punctual reports — especially the Global South.—Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 The most punctual medium-sized airport was Osaka International (ITM) in Japan.—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024 Iberia, the flag carrier of Spain, was the fifth most punctual global airline.—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2024 The most punctual airline in the Middle East and Africa was Oman Air, which celebrated its 30th birthday in 2023.—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024 Delta Air Lines was the most punctual of the larger North American airlines, with an on-time performance of 90.3% in October.—Marisa Garcia, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Numerous presenting stars got more time onstage than the winners, who were cheekily encouraged to wrap up their speeches by Anderson’s very game, very punctual mother.—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024 However, digging a bit deeper into the data shows a more diverse portrait of punctual planes.—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punctual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, having a sharp point, from Medieval Latin punctualis of a point, from Latin punctus pricking, point, from pungere to prick — more at pungent
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