Synonyms

carefully

American

[kair-fuh-lee] / ˈkɛər fə li /

adverb

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.
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

quasi-carefully adverb
ultracarefully adverb

Etymology

Origin of carefully

First recorded before 1000; careful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

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.

After the town locked down during and after the raid, residents began trickling out on Monday, he said, with warnings to make their way home carefully.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the University of Chicago's South Side Fossil Lab in Washington Park, the team carefully prepared and CT scanned the fossils to create a digital reconstruction of the skull for the scientific report.

From Science Daily

His carefully rehearsed lines and bookish glasses earned him the unwelcome nickname of "Robot Jetten" in his early career.

From Barron's

The government will need to manage that transition carefully to minimise any disruption to existing support for pupils with SEND, he said.

From BBC

It is always carefully framed around his personal vision and approach rather than a criticism of how his father is doing the job.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023