Punctilious

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(pronounced pungk-til-ee-us) adjective

Definition

1. characterized by very close attention to the fine points and minute details of behavior, code, convention, ceremony, etc.; very careful and strict about every aspect when observing the formalities of action or conduct. 2. rigidly exact or precise; scrupulous.

Main Example

• Have you been watching "Magpie Murders," PBS's new series on "Masterpiece Mystery"? Sure, the plot is ingenious, but what has most astonished this author is the way every member of the cast is so punctilious that every gesture, every mannerism, every word that he or she utters is natural. Acting and directing at its most superb.

Workplace Examples

• In the past, if one of my projects exceeded budget by, say, a few hundred dollars, it was never a problem with the financial controller. But this time, they are harassing me because my latest project is above budget by some ninety bucks. What's gotten into them? Why have they suddenly become so punctilious?

• I still remember how much time and effort my Mom put in for my first prom, which was some twenty years ago. She worked punctiliously to ensure that every element of my attire was just right, from hand-sewing the sparkly crystal beads on the neckline of my dress to adding a hidden pocket in the side seam so I wouldn't have to carry a purse.

Other Examples

• a colleague saying: "When it comes to serving wine and other alcoholic beverages at home, my wife is extremely particular about using exactly the right kind of glassware. I remember that on one occasion, when we were entertaining a large group of people and she suddenly realized that she may run short of the precisely correct glasses for liqueur--or was it Champagne, I can't recall exactly--she quickly ran to the neighbor's down the street to borrow some. Very punctilious."
• a friend saying: "Oh, by the way, the Stephanie you are about to meet is not the same Stephanie you met ten or fifteen years ago. She is a whole different personality, having transformed herself from being annoyingly careful at most times--'irritatingly punctilious' is how I used to describe her--to someone who is almost carefree. She really is much more fun to be with now."
• a receptionist who is punctiliously polite; a punctiliously designed golf course, a punctiliously manicured lawn, or a punctiliously decorated apartment
• Robert Caro, the two-time Pulitzer-winning author of an epic and punctiliously researched biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson
• Terry Chase's dioramas being exhibited in natural history museums around the world because they are jaw-droppingly lifelike, thanks to Chase's punctilious adherence to the minutest detail

• the recent state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II: a display of punctiliousness

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