punctilious
adjective
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How Should You Use punctilious?
A punctilio is a small point—a minor rule, or a little detail of conduct in a ceremony. A person who pays close attention to such minor details is punctilious. Punctiliousness can be valuable, especially for certain kinds of tasks, as long as you don't become so concerned about small points that you fail to pay attention to the large ones.
Synonyms
- ceremonious
- correct
- decorous
- formal
- nice
- proper
- starchy
- stiff
- stiff-necked
- stilted
Example Sentences
Gideon Lewis-kraus, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022 These days, Fireboy is a punctilious, perceptive artist, with a fiercely individualistic range. Nelson C.j., Rolling Stone, 30 May 2022 There is no punctilious demand for proofs, no exhaustive amassing of evidence, no dots revealed to form a pattern, no close examination of the operators plotting in the shadows. Bonnie Kristian, The Week, 19 Apr. 2022 Steadfast in the conversational tone that Coen establishes for them, Washington and McDormand are punctilious in making their lines sound natural. Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
1617, in the meaning defined above
punctilious
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- decorous
- formal
- ceremonious
- correct
- solemn
- proper
- nice
- polite
- civil
- stiff
- stilted
- starchy
- stiff-necked
- chivalrous
- polished
- courteous
- sober
- refined
- gallant
- courtly
- genteel
- stately
- red-carpet
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- easygoing
- informal
- casual
- unceremonious
- indecorous
- improper
- laid-back
- unmannerly
- discourteous
- impolite
- rude
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of punctilious are careful, meticulous, and scrupulous. While all these words mean "showing close attention to detail," punctilious implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points.
The synonyms careful and punctilious are sometimes interchangeable, but careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.
The words meticulous and punctilious can be used in similar contexts, but meticulous may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points.
While the synonyms scrupulous and punctilious are close in meaning, scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.