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.

Scientists must design the models carefully and interpret the results.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Katy said the reaction happened despite her carefully explaining the risks to restaurant staff, both verbally and using translation cards.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

“With Noah, you’re not dealing with a carefully constructed persona or character,” said Ryan Langlois, the singer’s operations manager.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

“So it means every Californian needs to use water as carefully as they can.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Ms. W. did her usual check-in and I almost didn’t hear or see her, I was watching Claire so carefully using my peripheral vision.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

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