Synonyms for by the book
| Grammar : Adj, adv, noun |
| Spell : book |
| Phonetic Transcription : bÊŠk |
Top 10 synonyms for by the book Other synonyms for the word by the book
- aboveboard
- absolutely right
- according to Hoyle
- according to regulation
- according to rule
- according to the highest authority
- acrimonious
- all together
- analytical
- as it should be
- ascetic
- astringent
- austere
- becoming
- befitting
- bitter
- brick-wall
- bullheaded
- burdensome
- businesslike
- by the book
- by the numbers
- canon
- careful
- ceremonial
- channels
- comely
- comme il faut
- compelling
- conduct
- confining
- conforming
- conscionable
- convenance
- convention
- convincing
- critical
- cruel
- custom
- cut-and-dried
- de rigueur
- dead set on
- dead-center
- decorous
- decorum
- definite
- deliberate
- demure
- difficult
- direct
- disciplinary
- disciplined
- done thing
- drawing
- dyed-in-the-wool
- efficient
- etiquette
- exact
- exacting
- exigent
- fashion
- finicky
- fixed
- flinty
- forbidding
- forceful
- formality
- framed
- frowning
- fussbudget
- fussy
- genteel
- gospel
- grievous
- grim
- habit
- hang-tough
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-core
- hard-line
- hard-nosed
- hard-shell
- hard-working
- hardheaded
- harsh
- heedful
- honest
- honest and aboveboard
- hypercritical
- impartial
- imperious
- implacable
- in a groove
- in a systematic manner
- in line
- indisputable
- industrious
- inexorable
- inflexible
- iron-fisted
- ironclad
- just
- kosher
- law
- layout
- logical
- manner
- manners
- method
- methodic
- methodized
- meticulous
- mode
- moral
- mortified
- mulish
- neat
- nice
- nit-picking
- on the button
- on the mark
- on the money
- on the nose
- onerous
- oppressive
- ordered
- orderly
- painstaking
- particular
- persevering
- persnickety
- picky
- pinpoint
- planned
- poignant
- polite
- powerful
- practice
- precept
- precise
- priggish
- prim
- prissy
- proceeding
- process
- proper
- propriety
- protocol
- prudish
- punctilious
- punctual
- puritanical
- refined
- regular
- regulation
- relentless
- respectable
- right
- rigid
- rigorous
- rite
- ritual
- ropes
- rough
- rule
- scrupulous
- sedulous
- seemly
- set
- set-up
- setup
- severe
- solid
- square
- steely
- stern
- stickler
- stiff
- stiff-necked
- stone
- straight
- straightforward
- strait-laced
- strenuous
- strict
- stringent
- structured
- stubborn
- stuffy
- style
- systematic
- systematical
- taxing
- thoroughgoing
- tidy
- to the point
- together
- tough
- trying
- unerring
- unpermissive
- unrelenting
- unsparing
- unyielding
- usage
- valid
- very accurate
- way
- weighty
- well-regulated
Définition of by the book
Origin :- Old English boc "book, writing, written document," traditionally from Proto-Germanic *bokiz "beech" (cf. German Buch "book" Buche "beech;" see beech), the notion being of beechwood tablets on which runes were inscribed, but it may be from the tree itself (people still carve initials in them). The Old English word originally meant any written document. Latin and Sanskrit also have words for "writing" that are based on tree names ("birch" and "ash," respectively). Meaning "libretto of an opera" is from 1768. A betting book is from 1856.
- As in methodical/methodic : adj organized, precise
- As in painstaking : adj meticulous, thorough
- As in proper : adj mannerly, decent
- As in stern : adj serious, authoritarian
- As in stringent : adj rigid, tight
- As in fair and square : adj completely honest and just
- As in methodic : adj methodical
- As in systematical : adj methodical
- As in dead-on : adj exactly correct
- As in exacting : adj demanding
- As in by the numbers : adv according to rule
- As in according to Hoyle : noun according to the highest authority
- As in form : noun accepted procedure; ceremony
Antonyms for by the book
- amenable
- bad
- bad manners
- bland
- calm
- careless
- cheerful
- confused
- corrupt
- crass
- crude
- disarrangement
- dishonest
- disorderly
- disorganization
- disorganized
- easy
- easy-going
- facile
- false
- flexible
- funny
- general
- gentle
- giving
- half-baked
- half-done
- imprecise
- improper
- impropriety
- inaccurate
- incorrect
- inexact
- kind
- lawlessness
- lazy
- lending
- lenient
- lethargic
- light
- loose
- mild
- misbehaving
- negligent
- nice
- objectionable
- pliable
- pliant
- questionable
- shapelessness
- smiling
- soft
- substandard
- thoughtless
- tolerant
- unacceptable
- uncareful
- unconcerned
- unconventional
- unenthusiastic
- unmethodical/unmethodic
- unmindful
- unscrupulous
- unsuitable
- unthorough
- weak
- willing
- yielding
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019