scrutinize
Americanverb (used with object)
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scrutinizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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scrutinized,
past participle, past
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scrutinizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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scrutinizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scrutinized,
past participle, past
-
scrutinizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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scrutinizationnoun
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scrutinizernoun
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rescrutinizeverb (used with object)
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self-scrutinizedadjective
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self-scrutinizingadjective
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unscrutinizedadjective
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unscrutinizingadjective
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scrutinizinglyadverb
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unscrutinizinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scrutinizesimple
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scrutinizessimple
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have scrutinizedperfect
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has scrutinizedperfect
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am scrutinizingprogressive
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are scrutinizingprogressive
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is scrutinizingprogressive
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have been scrutinizingperfect progressive
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has been scrutinizingperfect progressive
Past
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scrutinizedsimple
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had scrutinizedperfect
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was scrutinizingprogressive
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were scrutinizingprogressive
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had been scrutinizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scrutinize
First recorded in 1665–75; scrutin(y) + -ize
Explanation
If you want to examine something closely and go over every single detail, then you should scrutinize it. Like the way your mom probably assesses your outfit before you leave the house for school. Scrutinizing is very different from glancing or gazing. It's even more than a long, hard look. To scrutinize something, you have to look at it really critically, investigating every nook and cranny. Often things are scrutinized to verify if they're correct or authentic. So it makes perfect sense that this verb is rooted in the Latin word scrutari, which means “to search.”
Vocabulary lists containing scrutinize
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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.
See Examples For:
He also endorsed the use of independent evaluators to scrutinize AI systems, saying Meta Superintelligence Labs, his company's AI division, already relies on outside reviewers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
In a letter sent this month, Burchett noted that he wanted to scrutinize how homelessness has gotten worse during her tenure as mayor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Americans are repeatedly encouraged to scrutinize what is in their food, who made it and whether the institutions responsible for regulating it can be trusted.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
However, you live in a state where judges heavily scrutinize non-compete agreements, making them harder to enforce.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
I scrutinize the house, but there’s nothing to see.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
She scrutinizes every element of her tour looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
And instead of simply presenting these characters to an audience, as “Death of a Unicorn” does, the series scrutinizes them.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2025
With packaged products, Antoci scrutinizes every ingredient profile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
Now, she is moving again—this time into the House of Lords, the United Kingdom’s unelected upper legislative chamber that scrutinizes, amends, and approves proposed legislation.
From Science Magazine ● May 10, 2024
Square by square, she searches the night skies for adversaries then scrutinizes the ocean, which is roiling with nine straight days of unseasonable April rains.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
While that is accurate, statements like this make the conflict seem normal and perhaps unavoidable, rather than the result of a linked set of decisions that might themselves be scrutinized.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
They scrutinized the sonogram Owens sent to Echard and detected signs of photoshopping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Harris’ level of security has previously been scrutinized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
“It was scrutinized monthly,” said Mark LaNeve, a former executive who headed GM’s sales operations before its 2009 bankruptcy and later held the same job at Ford Motor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The group had a nervous energy that seemed to hum around them, and I scrutinized each of the men carefully, looking to make sure that none of them was just a cleverly disguised Regan.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Ultimately, by scrutinizing price ranges and volume, investors can glean how institutional investors feel about a stock’s prospects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The measure would also bring drones under the arms restriction regime and increase the number of experts scrutinizing the existing embargo.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The efforts come as business leaders have been cracking down on their AI spending, and scrutinizing whether the costs are worthwhile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The food-safety scare has arrived as chains throw more discounts at consumers who are scrutinizing their budgets more carefully due to higher costs of living.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
When I returned to the library a moment later, Mr Cardinal was wandering around the shelves, scrutinizing spines.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
