punctual

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpʌŋkt͡ʃuəl/ UK /ˈpʌŋktjʊəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #15697

Meanings

1

adj
Arriving or happening at exactly the right time; not late.

I expect all guests to be punctual for dinner.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

prompt seasonable timely

Opposites

overdue premature

Word family

Derived forms bipunctualcopunctualimpunctualnonpunctualprepunctualpunctualismpunctualistpunctualitypunctualizepunctuallypunctualnessunpunctual

Related forms meticulous pointpointwisepunctilious punctuate punctuation

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

punctual payment
money paid exactly when it is due

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Punctual, recorded in late Middle English, ultimately derives from Latin punctum “point,” from pungere “to prick.” Its modern time-related sense arose from being present at precisely the appointed point in time.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin pūnctuālis (“relating to a point”), from Late Latin pūnctus (“point”) + -ālis (adjective suffix).

pūnctus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# punctual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈpʌŋkt͡ʃuəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpʌŋktjʊəl/
**Frequency rank:** 15697

## Meanings
1. Arriving or happening at exactly the right time; not late.

## Examples
- I expect all guests to be punctual for dinner.

## Synonyms
- prompt
- seasonable
- timely

## Antonyms
- overdue
- premature

## Derived Forms
- bipunctual
- copunctual
- impunctual
- nonpunctual
- prepunctual
- punctualism
- punctualist
- punctuality
- punctualize
- punctually
- punctualness
- unpunctual

## Related Forms
- meticulous
- point
- pointwise
- punctilious
- punctuate
- punctuation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pūnctus

## Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin pūnctuālis (“relating to a point”), from Late Latin pūnctus (“point”) + -ālis (adjective suffix).

## AI Etymology
Punctual was borrowed from Medieval Latin pūnctuālis (“relating to a point”), from Late Latin pūnctus (“point”) + -ālis (adjective suffix). The historical chain includes pūnctus (la-lat). In present-day English it covers arriving or happening at exactly the right time; not late. The wider family includes derived forms such as bipunctual, copunctual, impunctual, nonpunctual, prepunctual and related forms such as meticulous, point, pointwise, punctilious.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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