Main Entry:

care·ful

Pronunciation:

\-fəl\

Function:

adjective

Inflected Form(s):

care·ful·ler; care·ful·lest

Date:

before 12th century

1archaic a: solicitous, anxious b: filling with care or solicitude2: exercising or taking care3 a: marked by attentive concern and solicitude b: marked by wary caution or prudence <be very careful with knives> c: marked by painstaking effort to avoid errors or omissions —often used with of or an infinitive <careful of money><careful to adjust the machine>

— care·ful·ly \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

— care·ful·ness \-fəl-nəs\ noun

synonyms careful, meticulous, scrupulous, punctilious mean showing close attention to detail. careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes <a careful worker>. meticulous may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points <meticulous scholarship>. scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical <scrupulous honesty>. punctilious implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points <punctilious observance of ritual>.