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careful

careful

3 9.9
Feeling worried or troubled by many things
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɛrfl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : preocupado
  • We have to be very careful... when we change the baby's diapers.
  • careful and troubled
  • thou art careful

Examples

  • You have so many problems that are not real, and you are so careful and serious about them.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Inside my pants pocket, glowing like a soft burning light, the yellowed newsprint was folded into a careful square.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Some may also be careful about what they wish for.

    Blog text (26)
  • But careful analysis reveals it's usually because you need something.

  • It'll take days of careful examination.

  • Victims of bullying are described as more anxious, careful, and insecure compared to other students in general.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The New England Journal of Medicine applauded Fausto-Sterling's "careful and insightful book..."

    Academic text (2002)
  • To ensure the mechanical integrity of a riverbank, vegetation strips are widely planted by river managers, and careful consideration of what species to plant and how they should be planted is required.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Aden was always careful about whom he let into his life, worried they would bring him more concerns.

  • She felt careful about her future, anxious about the decisions she had to make.

Synonyms

concerned
vscareful
2.2

Worried about something or showing care for someone

is archaic and means being full of cares and troubled

Antonyms

41 2.9

Not feeling worried or responsible

4 3.5

Calm and not worried about problems

Compounds

31 6.6

Giving too much attention to risk and missing good chances

11 3.5

A lot of thinking and checking before you decide

How Worried

distraught
86 7.2
distressed
35 2.9
anxious
201 2.7
careful
  • Archaic
3 9.9
uneasy
98 3.2
concerned
2.2

Surface Forms

careful positive
carefuller comparative
carefullest superlative

Morphology

careful = care (semi-transparent) = care + ful

While the components are clear, the archaic sense of 'full of cares' is not a standard derivation for modern learners.

Etymology

The word careful once meant 'full of cares' because care used to mean 'worry' and -ful means 'full of'. That's why older writers used careful to mean someone who is worried or troubled.