Meticulous
— careful; attention to detail
Meticulous means showing extreme care and attention to every detail. A meticulous person leaves nothing to chance — they check, double-check, and refine until everything is as close to perfect as possible.
The word is overwhelmingly positive in modern usage, implying thoroughness, precision, and conscientiousness. A meticulous researcher examines every source; a meticulous craftsman inspects every joint. However, in rare cases it can hint at excessive fussiness — being so focused on details that the bigger picture is lost.
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Memory Mnemonic
ME TICK YOU LESS
The keyword ME TICK YOU LESS comes from how Meticulous sounds when spoken aloud. This pronunciation connection makes it easy to recall the keyword whenever you hear or see the word.
Memory Link
"ME? TICK YOU off LESS because I check everything twice!" he said—careful with attention to detail!
Picture someone proudly declaring "ME? I TICK YOU off LESS because I check everything twice!" — he is so careful and attentive to detail that he never makes mistakes, never irritates anyone with errors, because every single thing is double-checked. ME TICK YOU LESS gives you the keyword, and the image of a person who obsessively verifies every detail captures the meaning of meticulous. Visualise him going through a checklist with a magnifying glass, ticking off item after item with painstaking precision.
HOW TO MEMORIZE VOCABULARY
There are 3 steps to effectively memorising vocabulary.
Step 1: Derive a keyword from the word based on how the word is spelled or pronounced. Next time you see the word, you will be able to derive the keyword from it because it is based on the word.
Step 2: Form a visual memory link that connects the keyword and the meaning(s) of the word you are learning.
Step 3: Ensure to Visualise the image, see it in your imagination. This is important even if it takes a few seconds.
Usage Examples
- The surgeon was meticulous in her preparation, reviewing every scan and test result before entering the operating room.
- His meticulous record-keeping made the audit process smooth and straightforward.
- The restoration team was meticulous, spending months matching the exact shade of paint used in the original mural.
- She took meticulous notes during every lecture, colour-coding topics and cross-referencing sources.
- The detective's meticulous examination of the crime scene uncovered a fingerprint that had been overlooked.
Etymology of Meticulous
From Latin meticulosus, originally meaning "fearful" or "timid," derived from metus (fear). The connection to fear is revealing: the meticulous person is so afraid of making a mistake that they attend to every last detail. Over centuries, the negative sense of fearfulness faded, and the word came to describe admirable thoroughness.
Synonyms & Antonyms of Meticulous
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Collocations with Meticulous
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The mnemonic visualisation above helps you learn this word instantly — no rote memorisation needed. But to move it into long-term memory, you still need to review it a few times.
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Built In Spaced Repetition
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Our built-in spaced repetition system shows you words just before you're about to forget them, so you review less and remember more. After a few reviews, you'll recall the meaning naturally — without even needing the keyword or memory link.
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