scrutiny

American  

[skroot-n-ee] / ˈskrut n i /

noun

plural

scrutinies

1. a searching examination or investigation; minute inquiry.

2. surveillance; close and continuous watching or guarding.

3. a close and searching look.

---

scrutiny British  

/ ˈskruːtɪnɪ /

noun

1. close or minute examination

2. a searching look

3. 1. (in the early Christian Church) a formal testing that catechumens had to undergo before being baptized

   2. a similar examination of candidates for holy orders

---

Related Words

See examination.

Other Word Forms

• nonscrutiny noun
• rescrutiny noun
• self-scrutiny noun

Etymology

Origin of scrutiny

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin scrūtinium “a search, inquiry, investigation,” derivative of scrūtārī “to search thoroughly”

Example Sentences

It says the review of the figures it gave to the Bible Society had taken place "due to the ongoing scrutiny this work received."

From BBC

Under scrutiny will be not only England's results but the style of play which has been criticised as being overly kick-heavy and conservative.

From BBC

But it’s also not a broad replacement for human workers—not yet, anyway—and companies’ claims of AI labor breakthroughs deserve scrutiny.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those that don’t, he said, could expect scrutiny from federal health agencies, the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

From The Wall Street Journal

This gives Grok access to more up-to-date information than its competitors — though experts suggest vetting its responses with more scrutiny, as the chatbot provides fewer guardrails.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• analysis
• audit
• inquiry
• inspection
• investigation
• review
• search
• surveillance