punctilious C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition US /pʌŋkˈtɪliəs/ UK /pʌŋkˈtɪliəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj showing great attention to detail or correct behavior He was punctilious about returning every borrowed book on time. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · showing great attention to... meticulousscrupulousfastidiouspreciseconscientiousexactfussy ↔ Opposites carelessnegligentslapdashlax Word family Derived forms punctiliouslypunctiliousness Related forms punctiliopunctualpointpunctuate Etymology AI details From Italian puntiglioso or French pointilleux, ultimately from Latin punctum ('a point'), from pungere ('to prick, pierce'). punctum Latin pungere Latin *peuǵ- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # punctilious **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /pʌŋkˈtɪliəs/ **IPA (UK):** /pʌŋkˈtɪliəs/ ## Meanings 1. showing great attention to detail or correct behavior ## Examples - He was punctilious about returning every borrowed book on time. ## Synonyms - meticulous - scrupulous - fastidious - precise - conscientious - exact - fussy ## Antonyms - careless - negligent - slapdash - lax ## Derived Forms - punctiliously - punctiliousness ## Related Forms - punctilio - punctual - point - punctuate ## Roots and Affixes - Root: punctum - Root: pungere - Root: *peuǵ- ## Etymology From Italian puntiglioso or French pointilleux, ultimately from Latin punctum ('a point'), from pungere ('to prick, pierce'). ## AI Etymology Punctilious is from Italian puntiglioso or French pointilleux, ultimately from Latin punctum ('a point'), from pungere ('to prick, pierce'). Important recorded forms include punctum (Latin), pungere (Latin), and *peuǵ- (Proto-Indo-European). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers showing great attention to detail or correct behavior. The wider family includes derived forms such as punctiliously and punctiliousness and related words such as punctilio, punctual, point, and punctuate. ## Topics - Mind & Cognition - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown