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 market is carefully curated, bringing together artists and makers from around the region to display and sell their work.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
He tends to speak methodically and carefully — in a way that could seem guarded, but more aptly reflects a chronometric yearning for accuracy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The researchers studied 41 healthy participants while they made risky choices under carefully controlled breathing conditions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Devi has used many years’ worth of meager birthday savings to send away for college-admissions materials, which she has cherished “like secret and holy things” and stowed carefully under her cot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Then he knelt, retrieved mittens from my bag, and gently slid them over my hands, carefully adjusting the cuffs under my sweater sleeves.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
