Standard Lemma guide

punctilious

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pʌŋkˈtɪli.əs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P AH0 NG K T IH1 L IY0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or fastidious, particularly to codes or conventions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • With a punctilious slap of the gloves, the duel was now inevitable.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accurate, careful, surgical, comprehensive, solicitous, conscientious, exhaustive, fastidious, groundly, in-depth, intensive, letter-perfect, mindful, minute, particular, polished, precise, painstaking, punctilious, rigorous, root and branch, scrupulous, scrutinous, sedulous, strict, thorough, tight

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Precise or scrupulous; finicky or nitpicky.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: finicky, nitpicky, precise, accurate, careful, surgical, comprehensive, solicitous, conscientious, exhaustive, fastidious, groundly, in-depth, intensive, letter-perfect, mindful, minute, particular, polished, painstaking, punctilious, rigorous, root and branch, scrupulous, scrutinous, sedulous, strict, thorough, tight

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

marked by precise accordance with details

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • meticulous research
  • punctilious in his attention to rules of etiquette

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: meticulous

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English punctilio Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English punctilious From punctilio (“fine point in exactness of conduct”) + -ous.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բծախնդիր (bcaxndir) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Armenian: քթի մազ (kʻtʻi maz) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Bulgarian: стриктно спазващ (striktno spazvašt) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Dutch: minutieus — strictly attentive to detail
  • Dutch: punctueel — strictly attentive to detail
  • Finnish: pilkuntarkka — strictly attentive to detail
  • French: pointilleux — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: pedantisch — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: minutiös — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: korrekt — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: förmlich — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: peinlich genau — strictly attentive to detail
  • German: überkorrekt — strictly attentive to detail
  • Greek: σχολαστικός (scholastikós) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Polish: drobiazgowy — strictly attentive to detail
  • Polish: formalistyczny — strictly attentive to detail
  • Polish: pedantyczny — strictly attentive to detail
  • Polish: skrupulatny — strictly attentive to detail
  • Russian: щепети́льный (ščepetílʹnyj) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Russian: церемо́нный (ceremónnyj) — strictly attentive to detail
  • Scottish Gaelic: pongail — strictly attentive to detail
  • Spanish: puntilloso — strictly attentive to detail
  • Turkish: aşırı titiz — strictly attentive to detail
  • Bulgarian: педантичен (pedantičen) — precise
  • Dutch: precies — precise
  • Dutch: pietepeuterig — precise
  • Finnish: pilkuntarkka — precise
  • German: pedantisch — precise
  • German: genau — precise
  • German: präzise — precise
  • Polish: drobiazgowy — precise
  • Polish: formalistyczny — precise
  • Polish: pedantyczny — precise
  • Polish: skrupulatny — precise
  • Russian: педанти́чный (pedantíčnyj) — precise
  • Scottish Gaelic: pongail — precise
  • Spanish: puntilloso — precise