thoroughly

adverb

thor·​ough·​ly ˈthər-(ˌ)ō-lē 

sometimes ˈthȯr-;

ˈthə-(ˌ)rō-

: in a complete or thorough manner

Police thoroughly searched the crime scene for clues.

Bats are extremely tidy: they comb themselves thoroughly, and don't gather a mess of nesting materials for their homes, as birds do.

—Diane Ackerman

: to a complete or thorough extent

We were thoroughly satisfied with the service we received.

thoroughly disgusted/delighted

By taking all the tricks in the game, one defeats the opponent so thoroughly that he may be disconcerted …

—Craig M. Carver

Synonyms of thoroughly

• systematically
• fully

Examples of thoroughly in a Sentence

they researched the issue thoroughly before deciding how to vote

I am thoroughly satisfied with her explanation of the events of that evening

Recent Examples on the Web

Vacuum thoroughly until all cornstarch is removed. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025

After all the dust is removed, rinse off the applicable parts of the unit and dry them thoroughly before plugging the unit back in. —Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025

True enough, but these cases were thoroughly investigated. —Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025

This season has been a thoroughly disappointing one for the Clippers, with Harden trying to lead a team that missed Leonard for most of November, lost Bradley Beal for the season after only six games, and dismissed Harden’s former Rockets teammate Chris Paul earlier this week. —Law Murray, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above