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
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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A Raisin in the Sun
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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.
Publishing them means that other people can read and scrutinize them, and mock the justices when they write illogical, unsupported or embarrassing opinions.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
Bojarsky hopes the silver lining of the scandal is that there “might be more of a race” as people scrutinize the field of candidates.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Investors continue to scrutinize geopolitical and military developments out of the Middle East as a major factor influencing markets.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
But investors have also come to scrutinize the companies that are pouring so much money into AI hardware.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
When he finally was able to scrutinize the draft, he found that it bore all the flaws of Teller’s oratorical style: it was too long, too argumentative, and too emotional.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
