méticuleux

Meticuleux is a French adjective describing someone or something that pays careful attention to detail and is methodically precise. The term often conveys a sense of thoroughness and, in some contexts, a degree of fastidiousness or pedantry when used with a critical nuance.

Etymology and related forms: Meticuleux derives from Old French méticuleux, ultimately tracing back to Late Latin meticulosus, from a root related to metus “fear.” The word is a cognate of the English meticulous. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: masculine méticuleux, feminine méticuleuse, masculine plural méticuleux, feminine plural méticuleuses.

Usage and nuance: Meticuleux is used to describe people, processes, or results that are precise and carefully planned. It can denote admirable conscientiousness in fields requiring accuracy, such as science or craftsmanship, or it can imply excessive insistence on small details. Synonyms include minutieux, scrupuleux, and soigneux; antonyms include négligent, approximatif, and laxiste.

Examples of application: On a résumé, one might note “un travail méticuleux” to highlight exactness; in a lab, a “procédure méticuleuse” emphasizes reproducibility; in everyday speech, describing someone as méticuleux may suggest they are thorough but possibly slow or particular about standards.

See also: Meticulous (English cognate), minutieux, scrupuleux.