Meticulous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /mɪˈtɪkjɪlɪs/

Definitions

1. Characterized by extreme care, precision, and attention to even the smallest details
2. Marked by a thorough and careful approach that emphasizes precision and attentiveness to every single detail in a task or project
3. Displaying an exhaustive concern for accuracy and an unwavering focus on the minutiae that ensures high-quality results
4. Demonstrating an evident dedication to accuracy, carefulness, and precision in every detail of work performed

Etymology: The most surprising fact here is that "meticulous" once meant "fearful." Its Latin ancestor, "meticulosus," was built from "metus" ("fear") and a suffix that came from "periculosus" ("perilous"), so the word described someone timid or easily frightened. Over time the sense shifted from being afraid to being overly anxious about getting things right, and eventually to the modern sense of extreme care over small details. That final step came through French. English borrowed the sense of careful, conscientious attention to detail from French "méticuleux," which was itself drawn from the same Latin root. So the modern meaning arrived by way of a semantic loan rather than from the Latin word's original sense. The Latin "meticulosus" was a learned borrowing, so the word entered English as a deliberate import from scholarly vocabulary rather than through everyday speech.

Synonyms: careful, detailed, precise, thorough, painstaking

Antonyms: careless, sloppy, hasty, negligent