SCRUTINIZE Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'scrutinize' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of scrutinize are examine , inspect , and scan . While all these words mean "to look at or over," scrutinize stresses close attention to minute detail. // scrutinized the hospital bill

Q: When might 'examine' be a better fit than 'scrutinize'?

The words examine and scrutinize are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, examine suggests a scrutiny in order to determine the nature, condition, or quality of a thing. // examined the specimens

Q: When is 'inspect' a more appropriate choice than 'scrutinize'?

The words inspect and scrutinize can be used in similar contexts, but inspect implies scrutinizing for errors or defects. // inspected my credentials

Q: When could 'scan' be used to replace 'scrutinize'?

In some situations, the words scan and scrutinize are roughly equivalent. However, scan implies a surveying from point to point often suggesting a cursory overall observation. // scanned the wine list

scrutinize

verb

ˈskrü-tə-ˌnīz

Definition of scrutinize next

as in to examine

to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition) the project's time constraints make it impossible for the programmers to scrutinize every line of code, so some bugs should be expected

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scrutinize different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of scrutinize are examine, inspect, and scan. While all these words mean "to look at or over," scrutinize stresses close attention to minute detail.

scrutinized the hospital bill

When might examine be a better fit than scrutinize?

The words examine and scrutinize are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, examine suggests a scrutiny in order to determine the nature, condition, or quality of a thing.

examined the specimens

When is inspect a more appropriate choice than scrutinize?

The words inspect and scrutinize can be used in similar contexts, but inspect implies scrutinizing for errors or defects.

inspected my credentials

When could scan be used to replace scrutinize?

In some situations, the words scan and scrutinize are roughly equivalent. However, scan implies a surveying from point to point often suggesting a cursory overall observation.

scanned the wine list

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 scrutinize While Senegal’s investigators scrutinized the Wade family’s assets and pressure on Karim Wade grew, Epstein offered him and his family his Palm Beach mansion. —

Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026 Each of the city’s departments scrutinized its spending to find cost-savings as the city faced a budget gap for the third consecutive year. —

Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026 The indictment follows a probe by House Republicans into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that scrutinized Morens’ email communications and accused him of intentionally concealing records. —

Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 According to the report, Friar is working with other executives to clamp down on costs as the board of directors more closely scrutinizes OpenAI's computing deals. —

Samantha Subin, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrutinize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrutinize

Verb

Like last year, there was a long list of criteria the PWHL examined when deciding where to expand this season, including market size, fan support, infrastructure and what kind of economic opportunity exists in the market, among other factors.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 6 May 2026
The Moroccan navy released video Wednesday showing military divers examining caves, aircraft scanning the ocean surface and teams of uniformed personnel and canine crews combing the rocky shoreline.

— Akram Oubachir, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026