me·tic·u·lous (m -tk y -ls)adj. 1. Extremely careful and precise. 2. Extremely or excessively concerned with details. [From Latin met  cul sus, timid, from metus, fear.]me·tic  u·losi·ty (-l s-t ), me·ticu·lous·ness n.me·tic u·lous·ly adv.Synonyms: meticulous, painstaking, careful, scrupulous, fastidious, punctilious These adjectives mean showing or marked by attentiveness to all aspects or details. Meticulous and painstaking stress extreme care: "He had throughout been almost worryingly meticulous in his business formalities" (Arnold Bennett). Repairing the fine lace entailed slow and painstaking work. Careful suggests circumspection and solicitude: A careful examination of the gem showed it to be fake. Scrupulous suggests care prompted by conscience: "Cynthia was scrupulous in her efforts to give no trouble" (Winston Churchill). Fastidious implies concern, often excessive, for the requirements of taste: "Your true lover of literature is never fastidious" (Robert Southey). Punctilious specifically applies to minute details of conduct: "The more unpopular an opinion is, the more necessary is it that the holder should be somewhat punctilious in his observance of conventionalities generally" (Samuel Butler). |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adv. | 1. | meticulously - in a meticulous manner; "the set was meticulously authentic" |
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