scrutinize
verb
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Scrutinize This Word's Etymology
Scrutinize the history of scrutinize far back enough and you wind up sifting through trash: the word comes from Latin scrutari, which means "to search, to examine," and scrutari likely comes from scruta, meaning "trash," the etymology evoking one who searches through trash for anything of value. The noun scrutiny preceded scrutinize in English, and in its earliest 15th century use referred to a formal vote, and later to an official examination of votes. Scrutinize was established in the 17th century with its familiar "to examine closely" meaning, but retained reference to voting with the meaning "to examine votes" at least into the 18th century. And while the term scrutineer can be a general term referring to someone who examines something, it is also sometimes used specifically as a term for an election poll watcher.
Examples of scrutinize in a Sentence
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Most notably, in 2023 two researchers scrutinizing 30-year-old Magellan data realized that the probe had caught a volcanic eruption in the act: radar images of the volcano Maat Mons that were taken months apart showed what looked like a caldera collapse and subsequent lava flow.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
Former President Barack Obama was also scrutinized for his actions toward foreign leaders after bowing while greeting a previous Saudi ruler, King Abdullah, as well as former Emperor Akihito of Japan in 2009.
—Brendan Cole
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
The project, which is currently in post-production, hit some turbulence last year when it was scrutinized by SAG-AFTRA over misconduct complaints against Gallo by multiple female actors.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrutinize
Cite this Entry
“Scrutinize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrutinize. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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scrutinize
verb
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