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
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.
He met seven women in various "blind date" rooms over a few days while being carefully supervised by agency staff.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
That’s partly because so much of who Gaby is has been carefully honed by the writers and Williams to align with the actor’s voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
There are no egos among a carefully hand-picked selection of athletes who push each other on and, when needed, pick each other up.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
They then carefully oxidized the aluminum, producing an aluminum oxide layer about 0.42 nanometers thick.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Clare ducked forward, threading his way through the lanterns, stepping carefully over the whirlpools—which he inexplicably felt he should avoid.
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.
