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

• completely
• comprehensively
• detailedly
• exhaustively
• fully
• inside out
• minutely
• roundly
• sweepingly
• systematically
• through and through
• totally

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

Finally, vacuum the mattress thoroughly (with a non-bagless vacuum) to remove all the baking soda, suggests Stein. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 19 July 2024

The rest of the more than 90-minute-long speech was thoroughly confusing. —Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 19 July 2024

According to the prosecution, police thoroughly investigated Herbstman — scouring his house, vehicle, phone records, scooter and Uber and Lyft records — but found nothing that tied him to Woll's murder. —Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 18 July 2024

On the other end of the spectrum, there are many Democratic supporters who are ready to jump ship without thoroughly and thoughtfully playing out the chess game of how a change in candidates could effectively work and doing so while thinking three or four steps ahead. —Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above