different between carefully vs meticulous

English

Etymology

From Middle English carfulli, carefulliche, from Old English carfull??e, ?earfull??e (“carefully, diligently”), equivalent to careful +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k??f?li/, /?k??fli/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??f?li/, /?k??fli/
• Hyphenation: care?ful?ly, caref?ully

Adverb

carefully (comparative more carefully, superlative most carefully)

1. (obsolete) Sorrowfully.
2. With care; attentively, circumspectly.

   • Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin meticul?sus (“full of fear, timid, fearful, terrible, frightful”), from metus (“fear”) and -cul?sus, extracted from per?cul?sus (“perilous”). Sense of "characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details" is from French méticuleux.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /m??t?kj?l?s/, /m??t?kjul?s/
• Rhymes: -?kj?l?s

Adjective

meticulous (comparative more meticulous, superlative most meticulous)

1. Characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details.

   Synonyms: careful, precise, painstaking, rigorous, scrupulous; see also Thesaurus:meticulous

   Antonyms: sloppy, careless, slapdash
2. (archaic) Timid, fearful, overly cautious.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cautious

   Antonyms: aggressive, carefree; see also Thesaurus:careless

Derived terms

• meticulosity, meticulously, meticulousness

Translations

Further reading

• meticulous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• meticulous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.