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.
“I was distressed that the sacred space of trust that I so carefully cultivated with each patient was being breached by the institution without my knowledge or assent,” she wrote.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
The change has been evolutionary, not revolutionary, as agencies revise and defend their rules more carefully, rather than watch them swept away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
He is now doing well but his condition needs to be carefully managed – his diet must be closely watched and his blood sugar checked.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Researchers emphasize that high doses of vitamins, including niacin, can be toxic and may cause harm if they are not carefully monitored by medical professionals.
From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026
"After thinking the matter over carefully, I have decided that I would prefer not to meet it."
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
