Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "punctual" [punc•tu•al]

  • Acting or arriving exactly at the time appointed; prompt. (adjective)
  • Paid or accomplished at or by the appointed time. (adjective)
  • Precise; exact. (adjective)
  • Confined to or having the nature of a point in space. (adjective)
  • Linguistics Of, related to, or being the verbal aspect that expresses momentary action or action considered as having no temporal duration. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "punctual" in a sentence
  • "View image of page you know, to be punctual, is my motto in all things, the principle, the life-habit whose influence is to modify and control my actions, and which I trust is even now almost indispensable."
  • "The trouble with being punctual is that nobody’s there to appreciate it."
  • "Roxana has always made her payments on time, which explains why she is known as a punctual and responsible person."