carefully
Americanadverb
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in a cautious way, with attention to possible risks and dangers.
Although somewhat "folksy" in his interview, the congressman carefully avoided pitfalls where he would be vulnerable to attack.
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in a thorough, attentive, or painstaking way, giving thought to avoiding errors or omissions.
I have to carefully examine the copy editor's marked-up manuscript, double-checking everything and approving or vetoing changes.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of carefully
First recorded before 1000; careful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Carefully means cautiously or painstakingly. If you carefully study your vocabulary words, you'll ace your next quiz! This adverb comes from the Old English carfullice — but before coming to mean "in a way that avoids harm," it meant "sorrowfully." In fact, the very oldest meaning of care was "to be anxious or to grieve." These days, you don't cry when you do something carefully. You just take your time and make sure you're doing it right and that no one's being harmed by it, like when you check carefully behind your car for the neighbor's cat before you back out of the driveway.
Vocabulary lists containing carefully
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A spokesman for the regulator, BaFin, said it carefully reviews reports from market participants.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"Rather than being carried naturally by ice, the evidence points to a deliberate, carefully planned movement across a challenging and varied landscape," Dr. Clarke said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
"The consultations will remain open until mid-June, after which we will carefully review all responses and confirm the outcomes before the end of the summer term," the spokesperson said.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
“Grandparents may have carefully saved for their own retirement, but they didn’t plan for the unexpected expense of being parents again. It’s putting these caregivers in situations that are untenable,” Butts said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Clare scaled the tree to meet her, carefully stretching from bough to bough, then ducking into the leafy cage where she was riding out the storm.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
