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meticulous

Etymology and origin of the English word meticulous

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /məˈtɪ.kjə.ləs/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin meticulosus (“fearful, timid”),[2][3][4][5][6] from metus “fear”,[2][3][4][5][6] with an ending modelled on perīculōsus “perilous”.[3][6] The modern sense came under the influence of French méticuleux (“timorously fussy”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fearful or timid (1535).[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

The early sense became archaic after about 1700.[4] The word returned in the sense of over-careful about small details (1827),[3][5][7] a use Etymonline traces to French and to literary critics, and which Fowler criticized.[4] The OED notes that in present use it means simply careful, scrupulous and precise.[7]

Timeline

  • 1535 – fearful, timid.[3][7]
  • about 1700 – the old sense becomes archaic.[4]
  • 1827 – over-careful about details.[3][5][7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Extremely careful and precise about small details.
  2. Excessively concerned with details; finicky or fussy.
  3. (obsolete) Timid or fearful.

Word family

  • meticulosity
  • meticulously
  • meticulousness
  • unmeticulous
  • painstaking
  • scrupulous
  • punctilious
  • perilous

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary compares meticulous with careful, painstaking, scrupulous, fastidious and punctilious: meticulous stresses extreme, sometimes exaggerated care for small details, while scrupulous suggests care prompted by conscience.[2] Random House gives careless as an antonym.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Meticulous.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/meticulous. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·