meticulous

me·tic·u·lous

adjective \mə-ˈti-kyə-ləs\

Definition of METICULOUS

: marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details <a meticulous researcher>

— me·tic·u·los·i·ty \-ˌti-kyə-ˈlä-sə-tē\ noun

— me·tic·u·lous·ly \-ˈti-kyə-ləs-lē\ adverb

— me·tic·u·lous·ness \-nəs\ noun

Examples of METICULOUS

1. He described the scene in meticulous detail.
2. He is meticulous about keeping accurate records.
3. Always meticulous about his appearance in the past, he had become dirty and unkempt, with straggly hair, stained clothes, and patches of silver stubble on his chin. —Minette Walters, Fox Evil, 2002
4. She was very much the craftswoman, all her work meticulous, slow, perfect. —Simon Winchester, The Professor and the Madman, 1998
5. In dense, meticulous arguments … Brooten mounts an assault on that view. —Cullen Murphy, Atlantic, August 1993

Origin of METICULOUS

Latin meticulosus fearful, irregular from metus fear

First Known Use: 1827

Related to METICULOUS

Synonyms

careful, conscientious, fussy, loving, painstaking, scrupulous

Antonyms

careless

Related Words

assiduous, diligent, indefatigable, persevering, sedulous; exhaustive, thorough, thoroughgoing; alert, attentive, observant, vigilant, watchful; accurate, exact, precise, strict; critical, demanding, discriminating, exacting, fastidious, finicky, particular; cautious, chary, circumspect, gingerly, guarded, heedful, mindful, wary; deliberate, plodding, slow; studied, thoughtful; all-out, determined, dogged, intensive, patient, tenacious, tireless, zealous

Near Antonyms

cursory, halfhearted; heedless, inattentive, incautious, mindless, regardless, unguarded, unsafe, unwary; lax, neglectful, negligent, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly; imprecise; inaccurate, uncritical, undemanding, undiscriminating; bold, impetuous, rash, reckless; apathetic, indifferent, lackadaisical, lazy, lazyish

See Synonym Discussion at careful

Rhymes with METICULOUS

pediculous, ridiculous