thorough
[thur-oh, thuhr-oh]
- executed without negligence or omissions: a thorough search.
- complete; perfect; utter: thorough enjoyment.
- extremely attentive to accuracy and detail; painstaking: a thorough worker; a thorough analysis.
- having full command or mastery of an art, talent, etc.: a thorough actress.
- extending or passing through.
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- Archaic. through.
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- (initial capital letter) English History. the administrative policies of the Earl of Stafford and Archbishop Laud during the reign of Charles I: so called because they were uncompromisingly carried out.
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Origin of thorough
Synonyms
See more synonyms for thorough on Thesaurus.com1. unqualified, total.
Antonyms
1. partial.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for thorough
Contemporary Examples
The result was a thorough shellacking of the Democratic party from top to bottom.
Cammue, whose agency has now performed a thorough assessment of the current cremation process at Boystown, is extremely concerned.
In an attempt to offer up a thorough document, Brown manages to capture a wide array of people on camera.
The disease is spread via bodily fluids, necesitating strict isolation for the patients and thorough decontamination.
Of course, Wolfe dropped acid for the sake of good, thorough journalism.
Historical Examples
This time the Romans decided to be thorough in their work of destruction.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
A thorough examination should be regularly made, and I will promote it.
Neither is politeness at all inconsistent with thorough familiarity.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
The Metanoia, the re-directing of my thought, was a thorough and basic change.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
This man had been in the service a long time, and was a thorough man-of-war's man.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
thorough
- carried out completely and carefullya thorough search
- (prenominal) uttera thorough bore
- painstakingly carefulmy work is thorough
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Word Origin
Old English thurh; related to Old Frisian thruch, Old Saxon thuru, Old High German duruh; see through
Thorough
- thoroughgoing policy, as adopted in England by Strafford and Laud during the reign of Charles I
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for thorough
adj.
late 15c., adjectival use of Old English þuruh (adv.) "from end to end, from side to side," stressed variant of þurh (adv., prep.); see through. Related: thoroughly (c.1300).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper