Dictionary

careful en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• [ˈkɛːfɫ̩] (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈkɛɹfəɫ] (General-American)
• /ˈkɛɹfəl/ (General-American)
• [ˈkɛɹfɫ̩] (General-American)
• /ˈkɛːfl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English careful, from Old English carful; equivalent to care + -ful.

Meanings

1. Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.
   • Be very careful (while) trekking through the jungle.
   • He was a slow and careful driver.
   • John Aubrey Douglass, a senior research fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at Berkeley, said that while he was not an insider on admissions practices, “my sense is that admissions is highly regulated and careful to stay clear of Prop 209 restrictions, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.” 2025 February 3, Anemona Hartocollis, “The University of California Increased Diversity. Now It’s Being Sued.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Feb 2025:
2. Conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.
   • They made a careful search of the crime scene.
   • At the same time, we were cognisant that careful scholars should never solely rely on their own impressionistic observations, and, that our own impressions were inexact and not capable of being quantified. 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 7:
3. (obsolete) Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.
4. (obsolete) Full of cares or anxiety; worried, troubled.
   • Where through long watch, and late daies weary toile, / She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

careless

Deriveds

be careful what you wish for · carefulness · uncareful · noncareful · carefully · ultracareful · overcareful · be careful

Synonyms

deliberate

Translations (155)

nap accuorto (cautious) · crh muqayt ol (cautious) · izh hoolekas (meticulous) · ko 주의깊다 (meticulous) · la meticulosus (meticulous) · grc ἐπιμελής (cautious) · ru тща́тельный (meticulous) · ur سترک (cautious) · ca curós (meticulous) · ja 思慮深い (cautious) · uk ува́жний (cautious) · pl ostrożny (cautious) · fi varovainen (cautious) · sv noggrann (meticulous) · sv försiktig (cautious) · fo gáin (cautious) · fo varin (cautious) · sh о̏пре̄зан (cautious) · lv rūpīgs (meticulous) · pt tomar cuidado (cautious) · sh brȉžan (meticulous) · lv uzmanīgs (cautious) · ru стара́тельный (meticulous) · cmn 當心 /当心 (cautious) · ar دَقِيق (meticulous) · fr prudent (cautious) · nl omzichtig (cautious) · de behutsam (cautious) · sh по̀мњив (meticulous) · ru аккура́тный (meticulous) · ja 注意深い (meticulous) · nl grondig (meticulous) · he זָהִיר (cautious) · cmn 細緻 /细致 (meticulous) · es concienzudo (meticulous) · et tähelepanelik (cautious) · sa सतर्क (cautious) · sa सावधान (cautious) · fr soigneux (meticulous) · pl drobiazgowy (meticulous) · hi सावधान (meticulous) · ro atent (cautious) · fa محتاط (cautious) · hi सावधान (cautious) · ur ساودھان (cautious) · it accurato (meticulous) · nrf souongneux (meticulous) · el προσεκτικός (cautious) · ca anar amb compte (cautious) · fa دقیق (meticulous) · ko 조심하다 (cautious) · be ува́жлівы (cautious) · ro îngrijit (cautious) · uk обере́жний (cautious) · gl cauto (cautious) · cmn 小心 (cautious) · ro prudent (cautious) · be акура́тны (cautious) · nl behoedzaam (cautious) · ang carful (cautious) · eo zorga (cautious) · kk сақ (cautious) · sq kujdesshëm (cautious) · id hati-hati (cautious) · bg грижли́в (cautious) · hi सतर्क (meticulous) · fo ansin (cautious) · fo varur (cautious) · cmn 仔細 /仔细 (meticulous) · ga curamach (meticulous) · es cuidadoso (cautious) · bg стара́телен (meticulous) · eo zorgema (cautious) · it fare attenzione (cautious) · tl maingat (cautious) · tr dikkatli (cautious) · es precavido (cautious) · fi huolellinen (meticulous) · ms hati-hati (cautious) · hu óvatos (cautious) · id cermat (meticulous) · bn সাবধান (cautious) · it cauto (cautious) · sh ȍprēzan (cautious) · oc téner ment (cautious) · sl skrben (cautious) · cmn 過細 /过细 (meticulous) · fr attentif (meticulous) · cs opatrný (cautious) · pt meticuloso (meticulous) · pt cauteloso (cautious) · sk starostlivý (meticulous) · pt cuidadoso (cautious) · ca acurat (meticulous) · bg внима́телен (cautious) · gd cùramach (meticulous) · uk акура́тний (cautious) · nl voorzichtig (cautious) · lv rūpīgs (cautious) · is var (cautious) · ru осторо́жный (cautious) · lv uzmanīgs (meticulous) · de vorsichtig (cautious) · da forsigtig (cautious) · ro precaut (cautious) · gu સાવધાન (cautious) · eo singarda (cautious) · be асцяро́жны (cautious) · sh брѝжљив (meticulous) · es tener cuidado (cautious) · hi सतर्क (cautious) · cy gofalus (cautious) · bg акура́тен (meticulous) · fo hyggin (cautious) · hi सचेत (meticulous) · ca cautelós (cautious) · pt prudente (cautious) · it prudente (cautious) · crh saqt ol (cautious) · eo atenta (meticulous) · nl prudent (cautious) · ru аккура́тный (cautious) · ko 신중하다 (cautious) · es minucioso (meticulous) · la curiosus (cautious) · id teliti (meticulous) · ar حَذِر (cautious) · et ettevaatlik (cautious) · ru внима́тельный (cautious) · it attento (meticulous) · cs pečlivý (meticulous) · ro grijuliu (cautious) · la cautus (cautious) · bn সতর্ক (cautious) · mr सावध (cautious) · de sorgfältig (meticulous) · ga aireach (cautious) · sh brìžljiv (meticulous) · is varkár (cautious) · mk внимателен (cautious) · ka ყურადღებიანი (cautious) · gd cùramach (cautious) · txb imassu (cautious) · nl zorgvuldig (meticulous) · la diligens (meticulous) · sh pòmnjiv (meticulous) · es cauto (cautious) · sk opatrný (cautious) · es cuidadoso (meticulous) · nb forsiktig (cautious) · nl doortastend (meticulous) · sh бри̏жан (meticulous) · el επιμελής (meticulous) · be пі́льны (cautious) · pt cuidadoso (meticulous)