as in examining
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 scrutinizing
For the past few years, astronomers including Beatriz Villarroel, of Nordita, Stockholm University, have been scrutinizing photographic plates exposed in the years before the Space Age began, as part of the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, federal judges in Maryland and Tennessee are scrutinizing the administration’s handling of both his civil and criminal cases.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Bennett’s book seems to question whether scrutinizing every new gendered archetype or behavior, in the disembodied way social media encourages, is productive.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Climate Central’s version of the database will be more granular than the government’s, tracking events that do as little as $100 million worth of damage and scrutinizing wildfires more closely, logging individual blazes as opposed to seasonal regional figures, as the government does.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
That’s when Danielle went into full detective mode, scrutinizing everything that touched her skin—lotions, serums, hair products, even the family’s laundry detergent.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 9 Oct. 2025
The White House is scrutinizing ways to keep federal workers who were furloughed during the government shutdown from receiving back pay.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Historically, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism, Lappé added.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, federal judges in Maryland and Tennessee are scrutinizing the administration’s handling of both his civil and criminal cases.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Bennett’s book seems to question whether scrutinizing every new gendered archetype or behavior, in the disembodied way social media encourages, is productive.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Climate Central’s version of the database will be more granular than the government’s, tracking events that do as little as $100 million worth of damage and scrutinizing wildfires more closely, logging individual blazes as opposed to seasonal regional figures, as the government does.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
That’s when Danielle went into full detective mode, scrutinizing everything that touched her skin—lotions, serums, hair products, even the family’s laundry detergent.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 9 Oct. 2025
The White House is scrutinizing ways to keep federal workers who were furloughed during the government shutdown from receiving back pay.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Historically, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism, Lappé added.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrutinizing
Verb
-
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
-
More than 100 investigators have been involved in the manhunt, and authorities were able to track down the individuals after analyzing more than 150 DNA samples and examining several items the group left behind, such as gloves, a helmet and high-vis jackets left at the scene.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Richmond Sheriff Antoinette Irving announced that her office had launched an internal investigation and was reviewing bodycam footage to determine the circumstances around the use of force.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Leeper later confirmed that the statement had been shared with the Army CID, which subsequently began reviewing the decades-old disappearance of Tina Grogan and her two sons.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kurt's key takeaways Apple's new Preview app in iOS 26 makes editing and scanning documents easier than ever.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
-
My process involves regularly scanning for stocks achieving new three-month highs.—
David Keller,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Parts of the Caribbean were slowly surveying the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa on Thursday after the storm brought destruction to the region and left dozens of people dead.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Also, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight and was churning over the country on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm as authorities in Jamaica began surveying the extensive damage left in its wake.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The caseworker would walk through a house wearing white gloves, inspecting window sills and mantels for dust.—
Stephanie Land,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The 20-year-old didn’t bother inspecting it further, threw it in the gutter and went on with her day.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrutinizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrutinizing. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share