Synonym Chooser

How is the word punctilious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of punctilious are careful, meticulous, and scrupulous. While all these words mean "showing close attention to detail," punctilious implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points.

punctilious observance of ritual

Where would careful be a reasonable alternative to punctilious?

The synonyms careful and punctilious are sometimes interchangeable, but careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.

a careful worker

In what contexts can meticulous take the place of punctilious?

The words meticulous and punctilious can be used in similar contexts, but meticulous may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points.

meticulous scholarship

When can scrupulous be used instead of punctilious?

While the synonyms scrupulous and punctilious are close in meaning, scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.

scrupulous honesty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of punctilious Rudolf, before he is eventually tasked with moving on to another camp, is a punctilious, contented autocrat. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023 The Pith: Honorable intent and punctilious adherence to proper form and method does not guarantee a set of results which flesh out a genuine phenomenon. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2011 His punctilious, every-word-counts lyricism makes your head hurt in a good way, like GZA’s Liquid Swords, Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele, and RZA’s Gravediggaz work all congealed in a thrilling sonic stew. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023 As a protocol officer for Mr. Xi, Mr. Qin was exhaustively punctilious, said Pavel Slunkin, who was a Belarusian diplomat involved in arranging a visit by Mr. Xi to Belarus in 2015. David Pierson, New York Times, 26 July 2023 See All Example Sentences for punctilious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctilious
Adjective
  • For example, according to The Australian, firms with formal mentorship programs see 23% higher retention among women.
    Raquel Gomes, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • The law also limited the deployment of armed forces to 60 days, with a 30-day withdrawal period, in the absence of a formal declaration of war.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • More decorous versions simply excluded Jews, Blacks, and others to create those ethnic enclaves Vance decries in the form of elite institutions from country clubs to, formerly, Congress and the courts.
    Rebecca Solnit August 23, Literary Hub, 23 Aug. 2024
  • Instead, they are selected and rearranged to form a narrative of gradual debasement: a semantic descent from the decorous to the vulgar, often ending with crude references to the body.
    Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • Sign into your Spectrum account to find the correct mailing address for your area.
    Kara McGinley, USA Today, 24 June 2025
  • American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.
    Ryley Amond, CNBC, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ogden's #75 dons the back of one fan, Kris Prowse, who has opted – on this ceremonious day – to wear the jersey that started it all.
    Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • The vice president’s role in officiating the Electoral College count before Congress — the final step in the election process before a president takes the White House — was known for many cycles as one that was mostly uneventful and largely ceremonious.
    Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Specialty restaurants on Westerdam, which come at an extra cost, include Pinnacle Grill, a steakhouse-style affair serving prime steaks and seafood, and Canaletto, which does nice Italian fare.
    Susan B. Barnes, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2025
  • The answer is a cool $2.8 million, probably enough to buy a really nice apartment in Ghent near the River Scheldt.
    Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • The potential disasters of treating art like traditional investments far outweigh the cost of proper planning.
    Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Eggs themselves are not a source of collagen—but the egg white specifically contains proline and glycine, two essential amino acids for proper collagen production.
    Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.
    Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • This protection -- known as the seal of confession -- is among the oldest and most solemn obligations in the Catholic Church, grounded in the Church’s teaching that, in the sacrament, penitents are confidentially confessing to and receiving forgiveness from God.
    Hiram Sasser, National Review, 15 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Punctilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punctilious. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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