Basic Details
Word: Meticulous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Taking great care over every small detail so that nothing is missed or done wrongly.
Synonyms: careful, thorough, precise, painstaking
Antonyms: careless, sloppy, slapdash
Word origin: Comes from Latin meticulosus, fearful, from metus, fear.
How to Spell Meticulous
Syllables: me - tic - u - lous
Tricky part: The middle is tic-u, with a c and a u that many students blur into tick or ti-co. The ending is ous, not us.
Watch out for: meticulus, meticolous, metticulous, meticulious
Memory tip: Picture a meticulous student putting a tiny tick beside every line she checks: me + TIC + U + lous. The tick has no k.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The jeweller is meticulous about weighing every gram of gold twice.
Example 2: Her science notebook is so meticulous that the teacher uses it as a sample for the class.
Example 3: Restoring the old temple murals needed months of meticulous work with tiny brushes.
Fun Fact
When meticulous first appeared in English in the 1500s it meant timid or fearful. The sense of being very careful about details took over much later, in the 1800s.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. meticulous 2. miraculus 3. rediculous 4. tremendus
a) very great in size or amount
b) so wonderful that it seems impossible
c) so silly that it makes people laugh
d) showing great care about every small detail
Show answer
d) showing great care about every small detail. Meticulous is the only correct spelling; the others should be ridiculous, miraculous and tremendous.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to meticulous as used in the sentence:
The accountant was meticulous in checking every bill before the yearly audit began.
a) painstaking
b) scrupulous
c) careless
d) thorough
Show answer
c) careless. Thorough, painstaking and scrupulous all mean careful, so careless is the only opposite.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
met_c_lous
a) e, o
b) e, u
c) i, o
d) i, u
Show answer
d) i, u. Say it slowly, me-tic-u-lous: an i in the tic and a u straight after it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A meticulous tailor is most likely to ____.
a) measure the cloth twice before cutting
b) cut the cloth by guessing
c) finish the shirt in five minutes
d) lose the customer's measurements
Show answer
a) measure the cloth twice before cutting
2. Which noun is formed from meticulous?
a) meticulousness
b) meticulity
c) meticulance
d) meticulation
Show answer
a) meticulousness
