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
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Other economists have scrutinized Antoni’s record.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) scrutinized the request.
—Colson Thayer, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Their integration with advanced sensors and battle networks will be closely scrutinized.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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scrutinize
verb
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