Meticulous X Thorough

[Cesar A. D.]

Good morning.

Which would be the difference between thorough and meticulous in the following sentences? Are they interchangeable?

• He was determined to be thorough in his research.
  
• She's very thorough and conscientious.
  
• She planned her trip in meticulous detail.
  
• My father was meticulous about his appearance.

From the dictionary:

• Thorough: being very attentive to accuracy and detail
  
• Meticulous: taking or showing extreme care about small details

Is one more formal than the other? And both are used nowadays?

Thank you!

 

[PaulQ]

When you compare words, you look for differences and not similarities. There are very, very few real synonyms in English.

• Thorough: encompassing all (or the vast majority) of something - They made a thorough search of the house -> they looked in every place - even in places that you would not normally think of.
  
• Meticulous: taking or showing extreme care about the small details of something. They made a meticulous search of the house -> they looked in great detail at even the smallest things.

You would particularly make a thorough search for something relatively large, e.g. a person; a gun, etc.; and a meticulous search for something small, e.g. fingerprints, traces of poison, clues, evidence, etc.

You would not say "I made a thorough search of the cup." Thorough is usually used with larger areas and objects - A thorough search of the room/garden/forest/county, etc.
Both words are current in English. There is no difference in formality.

 

[Cesar A. D.]

Thank you so much, PaulQ!