Careful

/ˈkɛɹfəl/ · adjective

Meaning

Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious..

Definitions by Sense

1. Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.
2. Conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.
3. (obsolete) Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.
4. (obsolete) Full of cares or anxiety; worried, troubled.

Example Sentences

He was a slow and careful driver.

Be very careful (while) trekking through the jungle.

John Aubrey Douglass, a senior research fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at Berkeley, said that while he was not an insider on admissions practices, “my sense is that admissions is highly regulated and careful to stay clear of Prop 209 restrictions, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.”

They made a careful search of the crime scene.

At the same time, we were cognisant that careful scholars should never solely rely on their own impressionistic observations, and, that our own impressions were inexact and not capable of being quantified.

Where through long watch, and late daies weary toile, / She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile.

Synonyms for careful

Antonyms for careful

Related Words

Word Forms

• more careful
• most careful
• carefull

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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