careful
3
9.9
- adjective
- /ˈkɛrfl/
- Archaic
- 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
∞
2.2
Worried about something or showing care for someone
Antonyms
Compounds
How Worried
86
7.2
35
2.9
201
2.7
- Archaic
3
9.9
98
3.2
∞
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
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.