meticulousme‧tic‧u‧lous /məˈtɪkjələs/ adjective 
Word Origin
He kept meticulous accounts. Their planning and preparation were meticulous. He cleaned the tools with meticulous care. The book describes his journey in meticulous detail.meticulous in He was meticulous in his use of words.meticulous about He has always been so meticulous about his appearance.► see thesaurus at careful—meticulously adverb: The attack was meticulously planned and executed.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINmeticulous
ExamplesOrigin:
1800-1900 Latin meticulosus ‘afraid’, from metus ‘fear’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a meticulous manager
- He would listen to each reply, making meticulous notes as he went.
- My mother was extremely meticulous and always made sure that every room in the house was spotlessly clean.
- Our accountant is very meticulous about his work. I can't imagine him ever making a mistake.
- This beautiful piece of jewellery is the work of a meticulous craftsman.
- Clough's particular strength lay in the meticulous detail in which he recorded field data.
- Flamsteed, meticulous to a fault, had spent forty years mapping the heavens-and had still not released his data.
- Geoff, who now runs a successful computer software company, is meticulous about the detail throughout his home.
- He was also a meticulous parliamentary diarist, providing the fullest known account of debates in 1626, 1628, and 1629.
- Hickey was nothing if not meticulous, and he had a flair for obscuring bad news in a fog of pieties.
- Massachusetts officials kept meticulous records of trials.
- The interest was again chiefly rhythmic and required the most meticulous playing by all sections in the orchestra.
THESAURUS► careful
Collocations trying to avoid mistakes and do everything correctly by paying a lot of attention to details: · Try to be more careful with your punctuation.· A careful inspection showed cracks in the foundation of the building.
► methodical always doing things in a careful and well-organized way: · He is very methodical in his work and likes to plan everything in advance.· This time the researchers used a more methodical approach to the problem.
► thorough careful to examine or deal with every part of something, so that you do not miss anything important: · There will be a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death.· Our mechanics will check everything – they’re very thorough.
► meticulous very careful about every small detail in order to make sure everything is done correctly: · She keeps meticulous records of the students’ progress.· He was meticulous about keeping the place clean and tidy.
► systematic using a fixed plan in a careful and well-organized way in order to do everything that you should: · a systematic review of the scientific evidence· We need a systematic way to evaluate employees.
► painstaking using a lot of time and effort to do something in a very careful and thorough way: · The book is the result of ten years of painstaking research.· They began the long and painstaking task of translating his work into English.
Longman Language Activatorcareful to do things correctly► careful someone who is careful tries not to make mistakes, and tries to do everything correctly: · She's a careful, hard-working student.careful with: · Try to be more careful with your punctuation.careful (not) to do something: · They were careful not to touch anything until the police arrived.· Fry the garlic, being careful not to let it burn.
► with care formal if you do something with care you do it carefully in order to make sure that you do not make any mistakes: · She has to work slowly and with great care in order to get the picture just right.· Her room is beautifully furnished, with a great deal of care and attention to detail.· Aunt Beryl's presents were well-received, and had obviously been chosen with a lot of care.
► conscientious someone who is conscientious has a serious attitude to their work or their duties and tries hard to do everything they have been asked to do in the way that it should be done: · She was a very conscientious student and attended all her lectures.· His previous employer describes him as honest, hard-working and conscientious.conscientious about: · I wish everyone was as conscientious as you are about getting to work on time.
► thorough someone who is thorough is careful that all the work they do is complete and correct: · Our mechanics will check everything - they're very thorough.
► meticulous someone who is meticulous pays a lot of attention to every detail in order to make sure that everything is done correctly: · This beautiful piece of jewellery is the work of a meticulous craftsman.· My mother was extremely meticulous and always made sure that every room in the house was spotlessly clean.meticulous about: · Our accountant is very meticulous about his work. I can't imagine him ever making a mistake.
► methodical someone who is methodical always does their work in a carefully planned way and is careful to check everything they do: · Poirot, always deliberate and methodical, made a list of all the possible suspects.· Barnes is a conscientious and methodical journalist who would have checked all of the facts before writing the story.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► meticulous detail
very careful about small details, and always making sure that everything is done correctly: (=very careful detail)· His books describe the mountains and their paths in meticulous detail.
► meticulous planning (=very careful planning of every detail)· Success had been achieved through the meticulous planning of their leader.
► meticulous preparation (=extremely careful not to miss any details)· The robbery took place after months of meticulous preparation.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► attention· In managing the acute wound one needs to pay meticulous attention to detail.· Epoc stands for Evening Primrose Oil Company, where meticulous attention is given to every detail of cultivation and production.
► care· Wasn't it she who pasted them with meticulous care into the cuttings-book which Stella so affected to despise!· Like these elements, it should be handled with meticulous care.· It has all been planned with meticulous care.· She had to swallow hard, and study the calendar opposite with meticulous care, to avoid actual tears.
► detail· Clough's particular strength lay in the meticulous detail in which he recorded field data.· To be successful it should be applied in meticulous detail.· All Einstein's works, great and small, are discussed and documented in meticulous detail.
He kept meticulous accounts. Their planning and preparation were meticulous. He cleaned the tools with meticulous care. The book describes his journey in meticulous detail.meticulous in He was meticulous in his use of words.meticulous about He has always been so meticulous about his appearance.► see thesaurus at careful—meticulously adverb: The attack was meticulously planned and executed.