scrutinize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- rescrutinize verb (used with object)
- scrutinization noun
- scrutinizer noun
- scrutinizingly adverb
- self-scrutinized adjective
- self-scrutinizing adjective
- unscrutinized adjective
- unscrutinizing adjective
- unscrutinizingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of scrutinize
First recorded in 1665–75; scrutin(y) + -ize
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.
But investors have also come to scrutinize the companies that are pouring so much money into AI hardware.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
But at a time of growing wariness over private-market valuations, investors have good reason to scrutinize deals, particularly when the buyers are already deeply committed to the same assets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
AI can then scrutinize those smells, and the tech can figure out, for instance, exactly what volatile gases comprise a scent, in what combination, and what those combinations mean.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
The Europeans will likewise scrutinize the billions of dollars of foreign cash pouring into this thing.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
I scrutinize the house, but there’s nothing to see.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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.
