punctilious

American  

[puhngk-til-ee-uhs] / pʌŋkˈtɪl i əs /

adjective

1. extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.

   Synonyms:

   conscientious, careful, demanding, precise

   Antonyms:

   careless

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punctilious British  

/ pʌŋkˈtɪlɪəs /

adjective

1. paying scrupulous attention to correctness in etiquette

2. attentive to detail

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Related Words

See scrupulous.

Other Word Forms

• punctiliously adverb
• punctiliousness noun
• unpunctilious adjective
• unpunctiliously adverb
• unpunctiliousness noun

Etymology

Origin of punctilious

First recorded in 1625–35; punctili(o) + -ous

Example Sentences

John McPhee, a punctilious user of reference material, has written that he mostly looks up words he already knows to better apprehend their nuances.

From The Wall Street Journal

And that doesn’t even include the host of honest mistakes that can and do occur filling out the mountains of punctilious paperwork after a 16-hour day.

From Salon

But if you’re a pizza cognoscente, or even a bread baker, you’ll recognize that this tomato pie is the work of cooks who are punctilious about their dough.

From Seattle Times

At work, Heuermann’s punctilious approach rubbed some people the wrong way.

From Seattle Times

Ali, who recently converted to the Nation of Islam, is punctilious about matters of faith.

From Los Angeles Times