careful

adjective

care·​ful ˈker-fəl How to pronounce careful (audio)
carefuller; carefullest
1
a
: marked by wary caution or prudence
be very careful with knives
b
: marked by attentive concern and solicitude
careful farm management
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
2
: exercising or taking care
careful of a child's welfare
3
archaic
b
: filling with care or solicitude
carefully adverb
carefulness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for careful

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

Examples of careful in a Sentence

He is a careful driver. You can never be too careful about these things. Be careful! The stove is hot! She was careful of their feelings. The police were careful to leave the room exactly as they found it. Police made a careful examination of the scene. They produced a careful study of the building.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That makes careful construction of games to maximize engagement vital, said Nate Jones, vice president of corporate strategy and development for Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation unit of Sony. David Bloom, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 Wild first 20 minutes Most of this series has seen each team playing a very careful brand of hockey, feeling each other out in the first period, with few shots on goal and even fewer legitimate scoring opportunities. Josh Yohe, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Her empathetic approach and careful unfolding of Dean’s story — particularly the bond between mother and son — reflect the very best of British documentary filmmaking. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2025 This careful search led Phan's team to a single object, a tiny dot in the infrared data. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for careful

Word History

Etymology

see care entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Time Traveler
The first known use of careful was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Careful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careful. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

careful

adjective
care·​ful ˈke(ə)r-fəl How to pronounce careful (audio)
ˈka(ə)r-
1
: using care : watchful
a careful driver
2
: made, done, or said with care
a careful examination
carefully adverb
carefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on careful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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