too-careful
29
6.6
- adjective
- She became too careful while driving after her accident last year.
- never be too-careful
- too careful these days
- too careful nowadays
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Watch on YouTubeHe looked green, young, way too careful.
- He looked green, young, way too careful.
Examples
-
A woman can't be too careful nowadays, I say.
Fiction book (2000) -
You can't be too careful these days.
-
You can never be too careful these days.
-
You can never be too careful.
-
I have found through the years, though, that too careful planning can work against me.
Blog text (33) -
You can't be too careful about protection, can you?
-
You can't be too careful in this day and age.
Fiction book (1993) -
You can't be too careful about radiation.
-
I check that the safe with the medicine is securely locked; you can never be too careful.
Academic text (2007) -
"You can never be too careful with borrowed property," Father Dunn said.
Fiction book (2000)
Synonyms
2
6.1
Being more careful than needed because you are afraid of risk
1
8.6
Too careful and slow in a way that seems not natural
1
6.1
Too worried about small details and hard to please
1
6.1
Too cautious so someone avoids normal activities
1
9.3
Being too careful about doing the right thing or duties, often causing stress
1
8.2
Being too careful about following rules or avoiding mistakes
Antonyms
How Careful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Too-careful comes from putting too- ('more than needed') before careful ('full of care'). So imagine someone being so careful they slow everything down — that image explains why too-careful means taking more care than is needed.