meticulous
Americanadjective
Related Words
See painstaking.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meticulous
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin metīculōsus “full of fear, fearful,” equivalent to metī- for metū- (stem of metus “fear”) + -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus “dangerous” ( see perilous)
Explanation
Someone who is meticulous pays extreme attention to detail. If that person is, say, your surgeon or your accountant, you'll definitely want them to be meticulous! The Latin root of meticulous is metus, which means "fear." Someone who's meticulous is afraid of what will happen if they're not careful enough to get every detail right. "Detail-oriented" and "perfectionist" are other ways of describing someone who cares deeply about the small things and about getting things exactly right, every time. Concert pianists must be meticulous, because audiences are always listening for wrong notes.
Vocabulary lists containing meticulous
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
CNN’s Brian Stelter, who wrote a book documenting the president’s war on journalism in meticulous detail, praised the president for his restraint.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
He was meticulous with his coffee brewing, treating it more like a lab experiment than a beverage.
From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026
A meticulous organizer—each evening she writes a to-do list of what she wants to accomplish the following day—she composed what she hoped would be a 10-year plan for herself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
John Stanton, Mariners CEO, who helped give the bat-breaking tug, credited Suzuki's "meticulous in his preparation and play" and told the crowd that he was "certainly worthy of this everlasting recognition".
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
The greatest challenge she faced was finding a course that didn’t duplicate Dr. Claytor’s meticulous tutelage.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
