carefully

[ kair-fuh-lee ]

adverb

1. in a cautious way, with attention to possible risks and dangers:

   Although somewhat "folksy" in his interview, the congressman carefully avoided pitfalls where he would be vulnerable to attack.

2. in a thorough, attentive, or painstaking way, giving thought to avoiding errors or omissions:

   I have to carefully examine the copy editor's marked-up manuscript, double-checking everything and approving or vetoing changes.

Other Words From

• qua·si-care·ful·ly adverb
• ul·tra·care·ful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of carefully¹

First recorded before 1000; careful ( def ) + -ly ( def )

Example Sentences

And the researchers stress their study, published in Annals of Neurology, used carefully controlled prescription medication.

From BBC

For the model, a subset of these variables was carefully selected using a combination of data-driven methods and clinician input, gathered through a survey of expert pediatric neurosurgeons nationwide.

From Science Daily

"Our team started spiking a range of carefully selected small molecules to the plasma with the aim of minimizing the interactions of highly abundant proteins with nanoparticles," Mahmoudi said.

From Science Daily

When a blizzard hits the town and leaves the parents separated from the children, their carefully planned celebrations are thrown into chaos.

From BBC

"The BBC has robust safeguarding policies and processes in place and if people contact us directly with concerns we will look at these carefully, in line with our complaints framework," they added.

From BBC

Related Words

• anxiously
• attentively
• conscientiously
• correctly
• deliberately
• delicately
• discreetly
• faithfully
• fully
• gingerly
• laboriously
• meticulously
• precisely
• prudently
• rigorously
• scrupulously
• thoroughly
• thoughtfully
• warily