SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
punctilious
adjective
Very attentive to details of conduct, rules, or formalities.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Exact about rules and conduct
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPunctilious especially concerns observance of details, rules, or etiquette. Formal describes style, while conscientious more broadly describes taking duties seriously.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See punctilious in use
The punctilious host checked every name card before opening the doors.
Matching the objects with the original loan forms was painstaking work because several descriptions used older titles. Ren was also punctilious about the agreed handover formalities, obtaining the required acknowledgment when an object changed hands.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license