painstaking

Definition

Carefully attentive to details; studious; diligent in performing a process or procedure.

Etymology

From pains + taking; see take pains. The /ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ/ pronunciation which dominates in the United States suggests a reanalysis of the word as pain + staking.

Example Sentences

• "All these painstaking men, considered together, may be said to have completed another species of criticism."
• "It is hoped to feature the historic vehicles to be found on the line in a future article, so that full justice may be done to the painstaking work of renovation on many of them, such as the North Eastern Railway Coach Group's NER autocoach No 3453."