meticulous

meticulous — adjective

1. requiring or showing the habit of checking every small point so that nothing is

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

requiring or showing the habit of checking every small point so that nothing is missed — for instance, a cook who weighs each ingredient before adding it, or an editor who reads every line of a document aloud to catch any mistake.

Example

Nora is meticulous about keeping her desk organised at all times.

meticulous about + [gerund]

The art teacher kept a meticulous record of each student's progress.

meticulous + record (noun collocation)

Common collocations
  • meticulous about [something]
  • meticulous in [something]
  • meticulous planning
  • meticulous research
  • meticulous attention to detail
  • meticulous record
  • meticulous preparation
  • meticulous work
Synonyms
  • careful

    The most general term; less intense than meticulous. Suggests avoiding mistakes rather than catching every tiny detail.

  • thorough

    Focuses on completing all the necessary steps. Meticulous adds the sense of extreme precision.

  • precise

    Emphasises exactness and accuracy, especially in measurement or language. Meticulous includes the behavioural habit of being careful.

  • fastidious

    Often negative or critical — suggests someone is fussy or hard to please. Meticulous is neutral or positive.

  • punctilious

    Very formal; refers to strict attention to rules, etiquette, or correct behaviour. Meticulous is broader and more common.

Antonyms
  • careless

    Lacking attention; the direct opposite in intensity.

  • sloppy

    Informal; suggests messy or rushed work with many errors.

  • negligent

    Legal/formal register; failing to take proper care.

Grammar Patterns

meticulous + about + noun/gerund

meticulous + in + noun

meticulous + noun

Usage Note

Often used with nouns related to preparation and detailed work (planning, research, record, preparation, report). Subject is typically a person or an organisation's work.

Common Mistakes

I am meticulous about eating breakfast every day.
I am careful to eat breakfast every day.
Meticulous implies extreme attention to detail; routine habits do not fit the word's intensity.
She wrote a meticulous letter to her grandmother.
She wrote a long, careful letter to her grandmother.
Meticulous is for work that involves thorough detail and checking, not just any careful action.
He is meticulous with cooking rice.
He is meticulous about how he cooks rice, measuring every ingredient precisely.
Meticulous requires a context that shows detailed, deliberate effort.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Careful is the broadest and weakest of these — it simply means avoiding mistakes. Thorough goes further, implying all parts have been covered, but without the emotional intensity of meticulous. Precise leans toward measurement and exactness (a precise measurement, a precise description). Fastidious adds a negative tone: someone who is fastidious may be overly fussy or hard to please, whereas meticulous is neutral or admiring. Punctilious is a formal word for strict adherence to rules or social etiquette — a punctilious host follows every courtesy, while a meticulous researcher checks every data point. In everyday use, meticulous is the best choice when you want to praise someone's extreme attention to detail without suggesting they are difficult to work with. For example: "The accountant was meticulous about checking every receipt" sounds positive and professional; "The accountant was fastidious about checking every receipt" hints that this behaviour might be annoying.

careful ↗thorough ↗precise ↗fastidiouspunctilious

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with meticulous care
  • in meticulous detail

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Meticulous comes from the Latin word meticulosus, meaning 'fearful' or 'timid'. The original idea was that someone who is extremely careful is acting out of fear of making mistakes. Over time, the word lost its negative, fearful meaning and became a compliment for someone who works with great precision and thoroughness.