If someone is meticulous, they are very careful about small details and they want everything done correctly. A meticulous student checks every number; a meticulous cook follows the recipe to the gram. In modern English this is usually praise: it names care, not fear. It is a little formal, but you will hear it in schools, offices, and reviews, not only in books. Tone can tilt it: said warmly, it means “beautifully careful”; said with a sigh, it can mean “almost too picky.” Though actually, the older Latin word behind it meant “full of fear.” The “careful about details” meaning came in through French méticuleux, and that is the meaning English settled on. Today almost nobody hears “afraid” in meticulous.