scrupulously
Americanadverb
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in a way that shows strict regard for moral standards or principles.
He has a reputation as a consistently hardworking and scrupulously honest and fair newspaperman.
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in a way that shows care or precision.
The authors have scrupulously researched the culinary culture of the early 18th century.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scrupulously
Explanation
To do something scrupulously is to do it very carefully. It's the opposite of doing something sloppily. To be scrupulous is to be careful, exact, and conscientious, so to do something scrupulously is to give it close attention and to strive for perfection. Diligent workers do their jobs scrupulously. A teacher who provides students with extra tutoring is behaving scrupulously. An accountant who does your taxes scrupulously is not likely to make a mistake. The Latin root word is scrupulus, literally "a small, sharp stone," and figuratively meaning "uneasiness or pricking of conscience."
Vocabulary lists containing scrupulously
The Giver
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Ender's Game
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Just Mercy
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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.
Sturgis, Rogers and Ames were all in Fields’ Echo Theater Company production of Samuel D. Hunter’s “Clarkston,” a more scrupulously observed relationship drama with its own share of surprising turns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
A scrupulously honest adviser with no conflicts of interest can still give you advice that loses a lot of money.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
“He was a scrupulously superficial man, believing so fervently in the magic of surfaces that his fervor almost passed for profundity,” Mr. Junod writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
He added: "The government has remained scrupulously neutral."
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
McCandless, I came to believe with increasing conviction, scrupulously steered clear of the reportedly toxic H. mackenzii and never ate its seeds or any other part of the plant.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
