Meaning & use
methodical
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Done in an orderly, careful way, following a clear plan or sequence of steps.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a methodical search, her work is methodical.
Patterns
- methodical in something
- a methodical approach
The detective made a methodical search of the room.
She is methodical in her approach to every project.
He kept methodical records of every sale.
adjectivecomparable
Describing a person who works slowly and carefully, always in the same orderly manner.
Grammar: Applied to people: a methodical person.
Patterns
- methodical about something
My brother is methodical and never skips a step.
The mechanic was methodical, checking each part in turn.
A methodical cook measures every ingredient.
Word forms
| comparative | more methodical |
|---|---|
| superlative | most methodical |
Common combinations
- methodical approach
- A methodical approach saved us hours.
- methodical search
- A methodical search of the files turned up the missing letter.
- methodical way
- He cleaned the kitchen in a methodical way.
- methodical mind
- She has a methodical mind that likes lists.
- methodically check
- They methodically checked each door.
Synonyms and how they differ
- systematic
- Systematic stresses following a system, and can be more technical, while methodical stresses carefulness.
- orderly
- Orderly may describe tidiness as well as process, whereas methodical is mostly about process.
- meticulous
- Meticulous focuses on extreme attention to detail, which is stronger than the step-by-step care of methodical.
- organized
- Organized is broader and about arrangement, while methodical describes how steps are carried out.
Opposites
Word family
- method noun
- a way of doing something
- methodically adverb
- in an orderly way
- methodicalness noun
- the quality of being methodical
- methodology noun
- a system of methods
Commonly confused: methodical or methodological? methodical or Methodist?
methodical vs methodological
Methodological relates to methodology in research and is not a general word for careful.
methodical vs Methodist
A Methodist belongs to a Christian denomination and has no link to orderly work.
Practice
Which person would you call methodical?
Choose one answer.
Methodical means orderly and step by step. Working randomly is the opposite, and the other options are about timing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “methodical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.