Is this your crossword clue?
"methodical" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often systematic (10 letters).
Definitions
characterized by method and orderliness
Word origin
From Ancient Greek μεθοδικός (methodikós, “going to work by rule, systematic, crafty”) + -al.
Used in a sentence
“the methodical arrangement of arguments; a methodical treatise”
“[…]methodical regularity which would have been requisite in a prose author.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Orderly”10 letters
Not quite right?
"Search similar patterns."
M_________