Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Arranged or proceeding in regular, systematic order.
  • adjective Orderly and systematic in habits or behavior.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Characterized by or exhibiting method; disposed or acting in a systematic way; systematic; orderly: as, the methodical arrangement of objects or topics; methodical accounts; a methodical man.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective in an organized manner

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characterized by method and orderliness

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek μεθοδικός (methodikos, "going to work by rule, systematic, crafty"), +‎ -al.

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Examples

  • LAVANDERA: We don't know who Gonzalez is talking about exactly, but investigators say they've arrested all the men who carried out what they called the methodical and chilling murders of the Billings couple.

    CNN Transcript Jul 14, 2009 2009

  • LAVANDERA: We don't know who Gonzalez is talking about exactly, but investigators say they've arrested all the men who carried out what they called the methodical and chilling murders of the Billings couple.

    CNN Transcript Jul 14, 2009 2009

  • LAVANDERA: We don't know who Gonzalez is talking about exactly, but investigators say they've arrested all the men who carried out what they called the methodical and chilling murders of the Billings couple.

    CNN Transcript Jul 15, 2009 2009

  • LAVENDERA: We don't know who Gonzalez is talking about exactly but investigators they have arrested all the men who carried out what they call the methodical and chilling murders of the Billings 'couple.

    CNN Transcript Jul 14, 2009 2009

  • An apartment complex there as well, and are going essentially house to house in what they describe as a methodical search, trying to capture the suspect.

    CNN Transcript Oct 2, 2006 2006

  • And they proceed to chomp their way through its contents in methodical, determined fashion.

    Archive 2005-07-01 2005

  • Call for death penalty in US beauty salon shootings PROSECUTORS say they'll seek the death penalty for the man they call a "methodical and merciless killer" who stormed through a California beauty salon and killed eight people.

    NEWS.com.au | Top Stories 2011

  • Southern California prosecutors said Friday they will seek the death penalty for the man they called a "methodical and merciless killer" who stormed through a salon and killed eight people.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • … It accomplished the first great feat in direct prophylaxis action to prevent disease, namely methodical eradication of a disease.

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • Agent Dumb Ass has a sawing style that might be most-charitably described as "methodical."

    Tallulah Morehead: Survivor 22: Rerun Island: Russell Blows It, Mansweater Sucks It, and Big Mouth Stamps It. Tallulah Morehead 2011

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