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

• 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

Water thoroughly to get the rye off to a good start. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025

These steals are worth shouting about, especially since so many are 2025 Best of Beauty Award winners that have been thoroughly tested by our editors. —Lily Wohlner, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025

Evolution works in similar ways, so thoroughly destroying what doesn’t work that what’s left over tends to work quite well. —Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025

This allows the towels to move around and get thoroughly cleaned. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above