carefully

[kair-fuh-lee]

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of carefully¹

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

Example Sentences

The information in this newsletter has been carefully compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed.

Read more on MarketWatch

Though her film flirts with surrealism, Bronstein carefully maintains a sense of truth as Linda scrapes past a never-ending pile of obstacles, trying to claw her way free before she’s buried alive.

Read more on Salon

Apple, like many networks, treads very carefully around topics that could be divisive.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is chilling to read that he must be carefully concealed in that first house—for his own safety.

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Policymakers have been carefully monitoring how trade barriers will affect the nation’s corporate sector and wage trends.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• anxiously 
• attentively 
• conscientiously www.thesaurus.com
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• deliberately 
• delicately 
• discreetly 
• faithfully 
• fully 
• gingerly 
• laboriously 
• meticulously 
• precisely 
• prudently 
• rigorously 
• scrupulously 
• thoroughly 
• thoughtfully www.thesaurus.com
• warily