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. )

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing carefully

Spelling Practice, Unit 8

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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.

USC is the only university to host the exhibit and Fisher Museum has been carefully prepped to display the sensitive archives, said Bethany Montagano, museum director.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Analysts say the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer by far, will have a better time, having carefully managed the pressure of their fields down the decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Anything that takes 26 years to happen is worth thinking about carefully.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

OIT is a treatment that involves patients consuming very small, carefully measured amounts of the food they are allergic to, under medical supervision.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Then the bird closest to the berries in each row would take a berry carefully and hold it out to the bird next to him in his beak.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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