meticulous
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meticulous
Extremely precise, careful, and orderly, often down to the smallest detail. It can also have a slightly negative meaning of excessive fussiness or nitpicking.
Er ist sehr penibel und putzt seine Wohnung jeden Tag gründlich.
He is very meticulous and thoroughly cleans his apartment every day.
'Penibel' (meticulous) can describe not only people (predicatively or attributively), but can also be used as an adverb. It then describes how an action is carried out: extremely carefully.
Sie hat penibel darauf geachtet, dass alles perfekt ist.
She meticulously made sure that everything was perfect.
The word can be meant both positively (very thorough) and negatively (overly fussy). The context and tone of voice determine the exact meaning.
Mein Chef ist bei Berichten sehr penibel, das kann anstrengend sein.
My boss is very meticulous about reports, which can be exhausting.
Common combinations are 'penibel sauber' (meticulously clean), 'penibel genau' (meticulously precise), and 'penibel ordentlich' (meticulously tidy). It often describes a state or quality connected with order and precision.
Seine Werkstatt ist immer penibel sauber.
His workshop is always meticulously clean.
embarrassing / meticulous
Both words can describe very precise and careful work. Peinlich is generally used for this in the fixed expression peinlich genau, while penibel expresses this quality directly and can also suggest excessive fussiness. Use peinlich genau as a fixed expression and penibel as an adjective on its own.
Die Buchhalterin prüfte jede Zahl der Rechnung penibel.
The accountant checked every number on the invoice meticulously.
Die Buchhalterin prüfte die Rechnung peinlich genau.
The accountant checked the invoice with meticulous precision.
