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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Or perhaps he was subconsciously looking for a way to blow up his own carefully constructed life.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

They should look carefully at the companies that face the highest stakes if they get it wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

This was a carefully orchestrated operation, said detectives from Cheshire Police, tasked with investigating the case.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

In another setup, the atoms are spaced farther apart but connected in a carefully tuned way so that waves remain synchronized.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Now I read through them again, more carefully.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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