What is the Difference Between Fastidious and Meticulous

The main difference between fastidious and meticulous is that fastidious implies cleanliness and delicateness, but meticulous does not.

Fastidious and meticulous are two adjectives having similar meanings. In fact, they usually refer to paying great attention to details. In this sense, both these adjectives are interchangeable, and they are synonyms. However, these adjectives also have some additional meanings, which are slightly different.

Key Areas Covered

1. What Does Fastidious Mean
     – Definition, Meaning, Examples
2. What Does Meticulous Mean
     – Definition, Meaning, Examples
3. What are the Similarities Between Fastidious and Meticulous
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Fastidious and Meticulous
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Adjectives, Fastidious, Meticulous

Fastidious – Definition, Meaning, Examples

Fastidious is an adjective that describes someone who pays great attention to detail because he or she likes everything to be neat, accurate and perfect. A fastidious person will always give attention to the smallest of details, sometimes to an extent where people may consider to be excessive. In this sense, fastidious is synonymous with meticulous, scrupulous, and punctilious. Let’s look at some example sentences that indicate this meaning.

James was fastidious about his appearance, so he took hours to get ready.

She is very fastidious about how her house should be cleaned.

He was one of the most fastidious people I knew.

The professor also admired Lily’s fastidious attention to details.

Example Sentence 1: He is very fastidious about how his bathroom should be cleaned.

The adjective fastidious also has other meanings. The major one being ‘having a strong dislike of anything dirty or unpleasant’ or concern about matters of cleanliness. For example, a fastidious person may be fastidious about eating from unknown restaurants. Furthermore, a fastidious person is also very hard to please and is very demanding in nature.

Let’s look at some example sentences:

She was too fastidious to eat in a fast-food restaurant.

He was very fastidious about washing hands before touching food.

Moreover, the noun form of fastidious is fastidiousness while the adverb form is fastidiously.

Meticulous – Definition, Meaning, Examples

Meticulous is an adjective meaning ‘very careful and with great attention to detail’. Therefore, a meticulous person is someone who does things very carefully and with great attention to details. In this sense, it is synonymous with adjectives like scrupulous, detailed, and fastidious. The noun form of meticulous is meticulousness while the adverb form is meticulously.

Example Sentence 2: His Desk was Meticulous.

Let’s now look at some example sentences containing this adjective.

He was a meticulous researcher who didn’t miss anything.

Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into preparing this report.

The epic battle scenes of the movie may have taken meticulous research and hard work.

Harry was meticulous about everything; this is why he reached the top of the career ladder in such a short time.

He is a skilled craftsman, so all her work is meticulous and perfect.

Similarities Between Fastidious and Meticulous

• Fastidious and meticulous are two adjectives that can be used as synonyms.
• Both indicate great care and attention to detail.
• Moreover, fastidious or meticulous people are often difficult to please.

Difference Between Fastidious and Meticulous

Definition

Fastidious means paying great attention to details and dislike of unpleasant or dirty things, but meticulous means very careful and pays attention to detail.

Cleanliness

While fastidious indicates concern about matters of cleanliness, meticulous does not.

Grammatical Categories

The noun form of fastidious is fastidiousness, while the adverb form is fastidiously. Similarly, the noun form of meticulous is meticulousness while the adverb form is meticulously.

Conclusion

Fastidious and meticulous are two adjectives having similar meanings. In fact, both usually refer to paying great attention to details. The main difference between fastidious and meticulous is that fastidious indicates concern about matters of cleanliness, but meticulous does not.

Image Courtesy:

1. “2799496” (CC0) by pascalhelmer via Pixabay
2. “1284085” (CC0) by Pexels via Pixabay