̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ləs adjective
Etymology: Latin meticulosus, from metus fear + -iculosus (as in periculosus dangerous)
1. obsolete : timid , fearful
2. : marked by extreme painstaking care in the consideration or treatment of details:
a. : unduly fussy especially through fear of error or censure
if I seem rather meticulous in my examination of this question — World Report
in their work, they were rigid and overzealous, meticulous , overconscientious, inelastic — Harold Rosen & H.E.Kiene
no longer interpret contracts with meticulous adherence to the letter when in conflict with the spirit — B.N.Cardozo
b. : commendably thorough or precise : strict
that fullness and meticulous documentation which the scholar requires — G.W.Allen
a meticulous scholar, who has mastered the documents of the age — Reinhold Niebuhr
using meticulous intravascular injection techniques — N.M.Pusey
had observed a meticulous neutrality — Sir Winston Churchill
a meticulous regard for law and usage — C.G.Bowers
Synonyms: see careful