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Some common synonyms of punctilious<\/em> are careful<\/em><\/a>, meticulous<\/em><\/a>, and scrupulous<\/em><\/a>. While all these words mean \"showing close attention to detail,\" punctilious<\/em> implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points.<\/p>

\/\/ punctilious<\/em> observance of ritual<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Where would 'careful' be a reasonable alternative to 'punctilious'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The synonyms careful<\/em><\/a> and punctilious<\/em> are sometimes interchangeable, but careful<\/em> implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.<\/p>

\/\/ a careful<\/em> worker<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "In what contexts can 'meticulous' take the place of 'punctilious'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The words meticulous<\/em><\/a> and punctilious<\/em> can be used in similar contexts, but meticulous<\/em> may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points.<\/p>

\/\/ meticulous<\/em> scholarship<\/p>" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When can 'scrupulous' be used instead of 'punctilious'?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

While the synonyms scrupulous<\/em><\/a> and punctilious<\/em> are close in meaning, scrupulous<\/em> applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.<\/p>

\/\/ scrupulous<\/em> honesty<\/p>" } } ] }

punctilious

adjective

ËŒpəŋk-ˈti-lÄ“-É™s How to pronounce punctilious (audio)
Definition of punctiliousnext
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details old-money aristocrats with a punctilious sense of propriety

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word punctilious different from other adjectives like it?

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.

punctilious observance of ritual

Where would careful be a reasonable alternative to punctilious?

The synonyms careful and punctilious are sometimes interchangeable, but careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.

a careful worker

In what contexts can meticulous take the place of punctilious?

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.

meticulous scholarship

When can scrupulous be used instead of punctilious?

While the synonyms scrupulous and punctilious are close in meaning, scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.

scrupulous honesty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of punctilious If the roles of estate planner, trustee and personal representative for a client by themselves are deemed to be conflicting positions, as suggested by the court’s opinion, then punctilious adherence to the conflict rules regarding sales of financial products or insurance is even more important. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 But judging asylum claims on this standard has often been an exhaustive, slow and punctilious process, ascertaining the persecutor’s intent, verifying the claimant’s beliefs or identity at the root of the persecution and so on. —Bill Frelick, The Mercury News, 19 July 2024 Saban was different from Carroll, more punctilious but no less competitive or curious about defenses, with an unusually keen eye for identifying talent. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2024 Rudolf, before he is eventually tasked with moving on to another camp, is a punctilious, contented autocrat. —Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for punctilious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctilious
  1. formal
  2. decorous
  3. correct
  4. ceremonious
  5. nice
  6. proper
  7. solemn
Adjective
  • No amount of money or formal resolution can erase the pain caused by a prosecution that should never have been brought.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Such a debrief will help to blunt some of the emotion almost certain to surround her return to formal duties on the show.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of formal
Adjective
  • Its decorous leaves are not even an inch long.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Lee Martino’s choreography, like the production as a whole, is at its best when observing decorous constraints.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Definition of decorous
Adjective
  • Present and correct, just in smaller quantities than previously, and now obliged to make polite conversation with Alexandra Champalimaud’s additions.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2026
  • This article was updated with the correct name of Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Sgt.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of correct
Adjective
  • The ones named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion by the judges make a ceremonious visit at the end of the day to the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in downtown Denver.
    — Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
  • More convincing in the film is cinematographer Talant Akynbekov’s observant, almost ceremonious lensing of carpet weaving, as well as of the beats of everyday life, sometimes accompanied by the traditional tunes villagers hum.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Definition of ceremonious
Adjective
  • Google's $499 Pixel 10a feels a whole lot nicer to use.
    — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Phase One currently is centered on a music theater that (from the point of view of the city) is very much in the nice-to-have-but-fully-served-elsewhere category and on a hotel, which is more promising but still less beneficial when compared with housing.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • Westcott said some of the subdivisions along the creek were built in the 1960s and 1970s when proper drainage was an afterthought and fences were installed in floodways.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Hayden said that Charles failed to execute proper safety protocols while Joseph crossed the street.
    — Anna Meiler, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of proper
Adjective
  • Case filings list several instances in which clergy went to Whipple to minister to detainees but were refused access, including on Ash Wednesday, a solemn day in many Christian traditions in which clergy place ashes on worshippers' foreheads in the sign of the cross.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • In one sequence, a solemn Gregorian chant pivots to a tango as Grace and Rocky’s ships connect airlock-to-airlock in spinning orbit.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of solemn

Browse Nearby Words

punchy
punctilious
punctiliously
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Cite this Entry

“Punctilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punctilious. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on punctilious

Nglish: Translation of punctilious for Spanish Speakers

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