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
Derived 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.
Whatever your opinion of Elon Musk’s rocketry and AI company, read the warning label on this and similar offerings very carefully.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
John Wollman tiptoed carefully around the issue of the Texas subpoena at the heart of the suit.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
But behind those calls are people who have spent decades carefully building a nest egg and are afraid to miss the SpaceX launch.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
If the Fed sheds Treasures, it risks triggering a market panic if the process isn’t carefully calibrated and communicated.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
The Harvard professors cooperated with all the mediums’ requests, but carefully observed their actions at every moment and studied the room before and after the sessions.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
