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 said the district also must scrutinize its own spending, including ensuring “major construction and capital projects are completed responsibly.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As profiled by The Wall Street Journal this week, a Chicago man who calls himself The Profiler has flagged thousands, warning users to scrutinize even verified accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
The platform, which has millions of users, is particularly popular among kids, which has prompted regulators to scrutinize its safety.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Bobby wanted to scrutinize the library and view Schmid’s chess art masterpieces.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Golden Corral scrutinizes buffet waste, marries costly shrimp with cheaper hush puppies and mines data to make money off bottomless offerings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Bass said her review would be a top-down evaluation that also scrutinizes the roles of dispatchers, supervisors and others involved in responding to reports of people behaving erratically.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
After the exam, an analyst scrutinizes the results and decides whether or not they indicate deception or are inconclusive.
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2025
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
He scrutinizes me, shoots an oyster of dark brown tobacco juice out the side of his mouth, and goes back inside.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The note scrutinized four distinct channels by which AI might contribute to pricing pressures: software and accessories, consumer electronics, electricity prices and other cost spillovers like industrial metals and construction wage growth.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
AI companies are encouraging people to upload their health information to be scrutinized by their bots, or to grant access to their bank or investment accounts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Those measures will be closely scrutinized by activists and protesters alike.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Fans scrutinized the British soul singer Lola Young when they discovered that her relative is the famed children’s book author Julia Donaldson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
An awareness of being looked at, scrutinized, whispered about, that Laila had never felt before.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Investors will be scrutinizing figures and commentary from the memory chip maker for signs of how artificial-intelligence demand is holding up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But unlike the show it’s scrutinizing, “Primetime” lets its prey walk free.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
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
Inside it, she was an observer, buffered from the scrutinizing eyes of strangers.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
