as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
old-money aristocrats with a punctilious sense of propriety
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Recent Examples of punctilious
The Pith: Honorable intent and punctilious adherence to proper form and method does not guarantee a set of results which flesh out a genuine phenomenon.
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Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2011
His punctilious, every-word-counts lyricism makes your head hurt in a good way, like GZA’s Liquid Swords, Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele, and RZA’s Gravediggaz work all congealed in a thrilling sonic stew.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023
As a protocol officer for Mr. Xi, Mr. Qin was exhaustively punctilious, said Pavel Slunkin, who was a Belarusian diplomat involved in arranging a visit by Mr. Xi to Belarus in 2015.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 26 July 2023
Having attempted to expand the boundaries of cinema with the first Avatar, the notoriously punctilious director hinted the sequel’s prolonged production process was at least partially a product of his technical ambitions and innovations.
—Vulture, 27 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for punctilious 
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2011
His punctilious, every-word-counts lyricism makes your head hurt in a good way, like GZA’s Liquid Swords, Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele, and RZA’s Gravediggaz work all congealed in a thrilling sonic stew.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023
As a protocol officer for Mr. Xi, Mr. Qin was exhaustively punctilious, said Pavel Slunkin, who was a Belarusian diplomat involved in arranging a visit by Mr. Xi to Belarus in 2015.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 26 July 2023
Having attempted to expand the boundaries of cinema with the first Avatar, the notoriously punctilious director hinted the sequel’s prolonged production process was at least partially a product of his technical ambitions and innovations.
—Vulture, 27 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for punctilious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctilious
Adjective
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Mauricio Vidal has a keen eye for capturing the Caribbean region’s natural beauty, his formal framing giving careful attention to the way the environment really is a titular character here.Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 21 Dec. 2024
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On one end, a formal living and dining space with an elegant fireplace overlooks the glittering city lights, tall ceilings and herringbone floors bookending this impressive backdrop for hosting.Miriam Schwartz, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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They’re totally fictionalized and, in their own way, the intrusive projections of what Morgan might’ve thought happened between the two, but what he’s imagined is decorous and dramatically unsatisfying.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 July 2024
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At the time, this decorous attire was standard at bowling alleys, where women often wore dresses or skirts.Gabe Bullard, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2024
Adjective
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Some were skeptical that this could be correct, but more reports were needed to be sure.David Phelan, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
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This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of stores closing in Tennessee.Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The chief and Kayce seal the deal with a ceremonious blood pact.Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
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The ceremonious confection has, after all, been a tradition for millennia: its roots trace back to ancient Rome, where grooms would break a barley cake over their bride’s head to officialize their union.Elise Taylor, Vogue, 27 July 2024
Adjective
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Two hundred of her closest family and friends made it on the nice list and were invited to her winter celebration.Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
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The result improved on the efficiency of previous packings, while making use of a novel approach: Rather than packing spheres in a nice, organized way, as Viazovska had done, the mathematicians used graph theory to pack spheres in a very disorderly fashion.Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There are sacrifices that have to be made in this life that lead to a sort of ebbing and flowing that’s integral to the proper running of things, like a stream.Daisy Jones, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
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Here’s how can Hoosiers help bats at home Installing bat boxes can help provide emergency shelters for bats that might need them when proper roosts are unavailable.Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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These gestures serve as solemn tributes to individuals who have served their communities and country, as well as to the memory of significant historical events.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
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Finding the cemetery after all this time was exciting but also solemn for Tony Guzzi, chief of preservation and site operations.Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Punctilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punctilious. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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