minutely
1 Americanadjective
adverb
adverb
adjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of minutely1
First recorded in 1590–1600; minute 1 + -ly
Origin of minutely2
Explanation
Do something minutely and you'll do it in an attentive or meticulous, careful way. If you minutely edit your English paper, you'll be sure to catch every last mistake. A detective might investigate a crime minutely, examining every possible clue in an intent way. Minutely can also modify an adjective, as in a minutely detailed news report or a minutely precise dollhouse version of Buckingham Palace. At the root of minutely is the Latin minutus, "little, small, or minute."
Vocabulary lists containing minutely
Grendel
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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.
In a bid to purge subjectivity, the definitions were written in a style that was minutely descriptive but might charitably be called ungainly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025
However, the quantum noise that lurks inside the vacuum tubes that encase LIGO's laser beams can alter the timing of the photons in the beams by minutely small amounts.
From Science Daily • Oct. 23, 2023
His remarks were widely condemned and, in summing up, the coroner said that "the conspiracy theory advanced by Mohamed Fayed has been minutely examined and shown to be without any substance".
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2023
Is that because people have read the Warren Commission report, found it unpersuasive and minutely scrutinized the “magic bullet” theory?
From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2023
“I have been wanting to call you on a nearly minutely basis, but I have been waiting until I could form a coherent thought in re An Imperial Affliction.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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.
