English Explanatory Dictionary

meticulous

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details.
  2. Timid, fearful, overly cautious.

Pronunciation

/mɪˈtɪkjɪlɪs/ /mɪˈtɪkjuləs/ en-uk-meticulous.ogg

Word forms

meticulous more meticulous most meticulous

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin meticulōsus (“full of fear, timid, fearful, terrible, frightful”), from metus (“fear”) and -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus (“perilous”). Sense of “characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details” is a semantic loan from French méticuleux.

Synonyms

accurate careful comprehensive solicitous conscientious exhaustive fastidious groundly in-depth intensive letter-perfect mindful minute particular polished precise painstaking punctilious rigorous root and branch scrupulous scrutinous sedulous strict thorough tight alert attentive cautelous cautious canny chary circumspect conservative deliberate discreet guarded heedful heedy hesitant meticulous prudent reckful safe sensible shy slow tentative timid timorous well-advised wary

Antonyms

automatic careless cursory haphazard perfunctory slapdash slipshod sloppy superficial surface-level token unthinking thoughtless aggressive carefree derelict heedless irregardless irrespective lash lax neglectful negligent reckless regardless remiss slack slovenly unfaithful

Related words

all-embracing all-encompassing all-inclusive bureaucratic cautious industrious

Derived words

meticulosity meticulously meticulousness overmeticulous unmeticulous
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