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

The Joico HydraSplash Hydrating Shampoo swaps the usual suspects for keratin (a protective protein) and natural hydrators like coconut water and sea kelp to replenish dry hair while thoroughly cleansing it. — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026

What are the odds that the same team could both win and lose thoroughly ridiculous 10-9 games in the same week? — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Hahn said that the opposing viewpoints could have been more thoroughly debated, had the project been subject to CEQA review. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Three turns on each side is sufficient to thoroughly lube the entire chain. — New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above