Dilatory vs Punctilious - What's the difference?
dilatory | punctilious |
Intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision.
* Motley
Slow or tardy.
Strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or fastidious, particularly to codes or conventions.
Precise or scrupulous; finicky or nitpicky.
* 2009 , Ronnie Cann, Ruth Kempson and Eleni Gregoromichelaki, Semantics: an introduction to meaning in language
As adjectives the difference between dilatory and punctilious
is that dilatory is intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision while punctilious is strictly attentive to detail; meticulous or fastidious, particularly to codes or conventions.dilatory
English
Adjective
(-)- a dilatory strategy
- Alva, as usual, brought his dilatory policy to bear upon his adversary.
Derived terms
* dilatorily * dilatorinessAnagrams
* adroitly * idolatrypunctilious
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- With a punctilious slap of the gloves, the duel was now inevitable.
- Of course, humans do not treat time in such a punctilious fashion.