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.
The research team carefully investigated the rocks to confirm both the environment where the sediments formed and the biological origin of the unusual textures.
From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026
Bhutan carefully controls tourism and foreign access, and only introduced television and the internet in 1999 under a cautious modernisation programme designed to protect its distinct culture.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
Young people are being urged to choose their university degree subjects carefully, after new research reveals how it can impact your career earnings.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
“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
She hates it when her carefully made plans go awry.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
