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🕵️ A careful investigation 🔍 Searching and thorough
probing

probing

1 6.5
Asking careful questions to find the truth
  • adjective
  • /ˈproʊbɪŋ/
translation icon : incisivo
  • The documentary features a probing examination of the political system and its impact on society.
  • more probing

Now, it's coming from within the writer, but it's because of the way the process works of the very intense probing questions.

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Examples

  • "He won't respect you or marry you if you give him what he wants too easily"—turns out to be the truest and most probing analysis of the current situation.

    Blog text (9)

  • "Virgo's gaze seemed more probing than usual, and Dean found himself shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I want to thank John for putting together such a probing and fascinating day for us.

  • What is required is a more probing analysis of the sources of this weakness, beyond the narrow economic focus of Trigueros's work.

    Academic text (1996)

  • In fact, it now seemed to Jim that Father Geary had never been half as probing or insistent as the circumstances warranted.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • However, in the more recent move away from excessively legalistic formulations of human rights discourse, other more probing, open-ended issues have been raised.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The journalist asked a series of probing questions to uncover the truth behind the scandal.

  • During the meeting, her probing inquiries revealed critical details about the project.

Synonyms

investigative
vsprobing
179 5.1

Made to find out facts by careful checking

is similar but stresses direct questioning to reveal hidden details
investigatory
vsprobing
  • Formal
5 6.8

Intended to find facts or information

is more about active, thorough questioning aimed at truth uncovering
searching
vsprobing
5.5

Very careful and deep, trying to find hidden problems

focuses on uncovering truth through thorough questioning
inquisitory
vsprobing
8.9

Asking careful questions to find facts or details

is more about the process of finding facts than about tone

Antonyms

superficial
94 5.6

Not thorough and only about what is obvious, not deep

How Thorough

exhaustive
  • Formal
32 6.6
thorough
205 4.6
searching
5.5
probing
1 6.5
superficial
94 5.6
cursory
21 7.0

Surface Forms

probing positive

Morphology

probing = probe (transparent) = probe + ing

A regular participial adjective formed from the verb 'probe'; the meaning 'searching, thorough' follows directly from 'to probe'.

Etymology

Probing comes from the old Latin word probare, which means 'to test' or 'to prove', and it shares the same root as the common word prove. So a probing question is one that 'tests' an idea or looks deeply for the truth.