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

Water slowly and deeply to thoroughly wet the root zone. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 30 May 2026

With sunrise on Friday teams from Blue Origin, the US Space Force, and NASA will be able to begin more thoroughly assessing the damage to Blue Origin’s facilities and begin picking up pieces of the rocket. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026

Perhaps no actor has been so thoroughly consumed by their own image as Marilyn Monroe. —Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 29 May 2026

Washington’s wife, Toni Washington, criticized jail employees for not searching inmates more thoroughly for drugs, and for placing Asaiah in a cell with an inmate who had been caught smuggling drugs into the jail before. —Theresa Clift may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above