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Synonym Chooser

How is the word careful different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of careful are meticulous, punctilious, and scrupulous. While all these words mean "showing close attention to detail," careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.

a careful worker

When can meticulous be used instead of careful?

Although the words meticulous and careful have much in common, meticulous may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points.

meticulous scholarship

When could punctilious be used to replace careful?

The words punctilious and careful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, punctilious implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points.

punctilious observance of ritual

In what contexts can scrupulous take the place of careful?

While in some cases nearly identical to careful, scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.

scrupulous honesty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of careful He's still owed $27 million each of the next three seasons, which means the Yankees will be careful about his long-term health. Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025 Thapar of Little India, for one, plans to handle the halftime rush with careful preparation that should carry her and Chaudhri through the first few waves of eaters. Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025 Developed by design studio Quartostile, the innovative exterior is the result of careful research aimed at optimizing every available cubic inch within the 300 GT limit. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025 While there may be times when additional funding is needed to support operational costs, any request to our community must be accompanied by careful budgeting and a clear plan for how resources are being used to benefit our students. Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for careful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careful
Adjective
  • Many chief financial officers are investing in AI while still taking a measured approach—one that may seem overly cautious from the perspective of chief information and technology officers.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Snow showers throughout the week; travelers advised to remain cautious due to potential slick conditions.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Though his meticulous style might seem tailor-made for prestige dramas centered on the exceedingly affluent, storytelling remains his true focus.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Scientists realized that the Netherlands—the site of a 1944 railroad strike in support of the Allies, followed by a retaliatory Nazi blockade on food—had kept meticulous records of a subsequent famine, the Dutch Hunger Winter.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • His playing has now come to be an omen of danger, so visitors who hear drums playing should be wary.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The new real estate series sees the Scott twins help wary buyers grapple with commitment issues to possibly make the biggest purchase of their lives.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bindi’s only six years older, but is very conscientious and a real caregiver.
    Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
  • There are unanswered overtures from the choir’s pianist Horner (Robert Emms), a soft, vulnerable young man whose conscientious-objector status renders him a fellow outsider.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • According to Fox 5, the baby was found with her umbilical cord still attached, was wrapped only in a sheet but was alert and conscious.
    Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The pilot, who was flying alone, was able to get out of the plane on his own and was conscious and alert at the scene.
    Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • No one ever came forward, and a local family adopted the sisters together, naming them Tina and Melissa and giving them a loving home.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
  • But there are things girls can do, too—often with encouragement from their parents, mental health professionals, or other loving adults in their life.
    ​Wendy Wisner, Parents, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In normal times, the agency acts like a loving but diligent parent, dispensing money at regular intervals to insure the kids don’t spend it all at once.
    Andy Kroll, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • In recent years, officials have been far more diligent about timekeeping, leading to a rise in the volume of stoppage time played.
    Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Careful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careful. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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