Definition of "punctilious" [punc•til•ious]

• Strictly attentive to minute details of form in action or conduct. See Synonyms at meticulous. (adjective)
• Precise; scrupulous. (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.

• "It is no accident that the word "punctilious" ( "attentive to formality or etiquette") comes from the same original root word as punctuation."
• "In conduct, this animus expressed itself in a kind of punctilious propriety."
• "I made no complaint, but Wolf Larsen demanded the most punctilious sea etiquette in my case, — far more than poor Johansen had ever received; and at the expense of several rows, threats, and much grumbling, he brought the hunters to time."