punctilious
adjective
punc·til·i·ous ˌpəŋk-ˈti-lē-əs 
: marked by or concerned about precise accordance with the details of codes or conventions
punctiliously adverb
punctiliousness noun
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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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She's very punctilious about grammar. old-money aristocrats with a punctilious sense of propriety
Recent Examples on the Web The prime status marker in a movement that has abjured financial reward is a reputation for punctilious (and often contrarian) intelligence. 
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
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
First Known Use
1617, in the meaning defined above
punctiliousness
noun
as in dutifulness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dutifulness
- watchfulness
- responsibility
- vigilance
- alertness
- irreproachability
- painstaking
- mindfulness
- exactness
- irreproachableness
- precision
- scrupulousness
- concentration
- effort
- observation
- meticulousness
- attention
- observance
- advertence
- conscientiousness
- trouble
- focus
- carefulness
- particularity
- bother
- advertency
- pains
- heedfulness
- meticulosity
- heed
- care
- closeness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- inattentiveness
- heedlessness
- negligence
- inattention
- inadvertence
- inadvertency
- inobservance