meticulous
muh-TIK-yoo-lus
/məˈtɪk.jə.ləs/
Showing extreme care and great attention to tiny details.
Focuses on exactness, correctness, and avoiding minor errors.
The story behind the word. Surprisingly, 'meticulous' comes from Latin 'metus', meaning fear. Originally, a meticulous person was someone who was so timid and fearful of making a mistake that they checked everything obsessively. Over time, the sense of fear faded, leaving behind the positive trait of extreme attention to detail.
Word relationships
- painstaking: Painstaking highlights the labor involved, while meticulous stresses exactness.
- scrupulous: Scrupulous often carries a moral or ethical obligation alongside detail.
- careless: Careless indicates a lack of thoroughness or concern.
- slapdash: Slapdash implies done hurriedly and carelessly.
Commonly confused with
- ridiculous: Ridiculous means absurd or deserving mockery, having no relation to meticulous.
Word family
- meticulousness (noun): The quality of being extremely careful and precise.
- meticulously (adverb): With extreme care and precision.
Collocations
- meticulous attention
- meticulous care
- meticulous planning
- meticulous research
Idioms & expressions
- cross every t and dot every i
Example sentences
- "The accountant's meticulous inspection of the balance sheets revealed hidden accounting discrepancies." Forensic audit
- "Restoring the ancient mosaic required meticulous application of tiny tile fragments." Artistic restoration
Memory hook
Meticulous people double-check details because they fear making a MISTake. Fear of minor mistakes.
When not to use
Do not use when describing grand strategic vision that ignores small details.
Fun facts
- In the 16th century, 'meticulous' was a negative term meaning overly fearful or cowardly.
Related words
Explore more words
fastidious, scrupulous, rigorous, punctilious, scrutinize, perceptive
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