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careful

[kair-fuhl]

adjective

cautious in one's actions: Be careful when you cross the street.

taking pains in one's work; exact; thorough: a careful typist.

(of things) done or performed with accuracy or caution: careful research.

solicitously mindful (usually followed by of, about, or in): careful of the rights of others; careful about one's behavior; careful in speech.

Archaic.

troubled.

attended with anxiety.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English carful, cearful. See care, -ful

Related forms

care·ful·ly, adverb

care·ful·ness, noun

qua·si-care·ful, adjective

qua·si-care·ful·ly, adverb

ul·tra·care·ful, adjective

EXPAND

ul·tra·care·ful·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. watchful, guarded, chary, circumspect. Careful, cautious, discreet, wary imply a watchful guarding against something. Careful implies guarding against mistakes, by paying strict and close attention to details, and, often, trying to use good judgment: He was careful to distinguish between them. Cautious implies a fear of some unfavorable situation and investigation before coming to conclusions: cautious about investments. Discreet implies being prudent in speech and action and being trustworthy as a confidant: discreet in manner, in keeping secrets. Wary implies a vigilant lookout for a danger suspected or feared: wary of polite strangers. 2. meticulous, discerning. 2, 3. See painstaking. 3. conscientious. 4. thoughtful, concerned, solicitous, attentive, heedful, regardful.

Antonyms
1–4. careless.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To careful

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Careful is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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Example Sentences

At the same time, be careful about undermining your own case.

In immigration reform, be careful what you wish for.

He can read and write-skills denied you-and takes careful notes about your journey.

EXPAND

At the same time, be careful about undermining your own case.

In immigration reform, be careful what you wish for.

He can read and write-skills denied you-and takes careful notes about your journey.

But careful experiments reveal that it travels at a finite speed.

We can only place better ethical practices in specimen collection and use careful methods of procurement.

When digging the annuals' planting holes, be careful not to disturb adjacent perennials' roots.

However, be careful with bulletin boards, and other services.

Sometimes you need to be careful about preaching what you practice.

Monitors require careful processing owing to their high lead content.

Never uproot or cut wildflowers, and be careful not to trample the plants.

Be careful forming beliefs from things people say without proper evidence.

As long as you're careful not to spill, the computer can get you a great culinary education.

Careful updates make the kitchen more welcoming more.

Indeed, not all of us are as careful with our teardowns as the experts at iFixit.

Suspicious, he took a careful look at the fellow's lab book.

Officials are careful to avoid calling the new effort a land reform, a policy that failed in the past.

Find out how these floating mountains of ice form, and learn why scientists keep a careful eye on them.

The results highlight the need for careful drug-use monitoring programs in current and future attempts to curtail the disease.

His objective was to display diatoms in a modern way using super contrast and careful application of color.

Be especially careful not to overwater in summer in hot desert regions.

Be careful what you write on social networking sites.

When they do, you should talk with your immediate supervisor, being careful to follow the chain of command.

Volunteers work closely with local guides and scientists, who lead the projects with clear goals and careful oversight.

The group has been careful not to make promises to project participants.

Some photographs are happy accidents, others the painstaking result of careful planning and even years of practice.

When it comes to watering, be careful and consistent.

If you've got lousy credit, be careful where you buy your car.

Anyone can acquire a gun, but everyone must be careful about what they say.

No matter what time of the year it is, careful driving on park roads where wildlife roam is a must.

These important medical uses of cloning technology urge us to be careful in our efforts to restrict cloning research.

Thirty-four percent have some idea that science has to do with experimental study, rigorous comparison and careful measurement.

Careful soil preparation will help get your annuals off to a good start and keep them growing well all season.

You'll have to be careful you don't accidentally throw yours out with the recycling.

Careful construction of the search committee is an important element in a successful search.

If you use objects other than your main subject in the foreground, be careful of placement.

Also, be careful about any hidden, alternative motivations for opposing the fracture process as a whole.

Mostly, the public tours aren't a problem, since they are confined to careful paths.

Where water is high in salts, soil needs careful leaching.

But the startup is also careful not to overwhelm customers with foreboding information.

Gardens are ready-made objects of beauty, but photographing gardens takes some careful crafting.

There goes my boxes of careful separated packaging plastics and other boxes for the paper section.

Fry them in hot oil, being careful that they do not overcook.

Be careful not to overprocess or your rice will become mush.

All of it is given careful thought with an eye to bringing back audiences.

Getting good shots requires careful coordination with the staff.

Motojima says he is aware of the risks, but thinks that careful quality control during production can eliminate the problems.

When you have a stern man in the beginning, you're real careful with the ropes.

Caroline made careful choices about when to save and when to splurge.

Be careful but this will fix it and return you to full access.

In fact, the site's architecture is the result of centuries of careful construction and alignment.

Careful excavation then revealed a dust mask probably left over from a previous attempt to hit desktop.

The patient is now careful to wear eye protection when handling his pet.

Be careful about the amount of paint you buy so you aren't wasting.

We have a hardworking research staff that keeps careful track of a rapidly changing world in many ways.

We should always be careful of extrapolating trends out, of course.

He brought enough money from mama to last a few months, if he was careful.

Careful tracking of these individuals hasn't revealed any biological or behavioral problems with captive breeding and release.

The sun image seemed to jump from the pavement, and the careful lettering rose above the book's pages.

Mayor is careful to say that not all myths were inspired by fossils.

Colour is an added element of design that needs such careful consideration in a composition.

Then they add less salty water, being careful to keep the layers from mixing.

In particular, ask students how careful research can help us separate the facts from the myths about animals.

Ask students to pay careful attention to the pictures of the animals.

After close to fifteen years of careful captive breeding and boot camp, the black-footed ferret may be making a comeback.

Unfortunately, even a short stay can break your bank if you are not careful.

Add meatballs and reheat slowly, careful not to bring the sauce to a boil.

Careful eyes watch as the gate swings open, the bull bucks, and the cowboy hangs on for what seems to be an eternity.

He stands still for a few beats, careful not to look at the dolphin, and then returns to work.

The idea is that banks with such exposure to risk would be more careful about properly screening borrowers.

With some paper, a sharp blade and a few minutes of careful cutting.

When such children are subjected to careful medical examination, rarely is an organic cause found.

Manage multiple projects and duties simultaneously, while paying careful attention to detail.

He was always careful to keep his torch pointed at the floor if he was there at night and to leave no trace of his visit.

Even in less volatile times, traders spend their days making careful decisions about what to sell and when.

Dozens of casualties taught them to be more careful.

Preparation is key when firing someone, and careful planning can limit misunderstandings, anger and recrimination.

Even if you are extremely careful and collegial, problems can fester, and in some cases nothing you can do will ease the animus.

And the pain will continue: a careful look at the numbers suggests that the process of deleveraging has barely begun.

If you're not careful in disposing of the nuisances, you may find unwanted plants in the garden next year.

I'd be careful about accepting an invitation from them if one comes.

But the government will be careful about reversing stimulus measures until it is certain the recovery is sustainable.

The careful eye can tease out paisleys of color and form.

Typically philosophers deal with these issues through careful thought and discourse with other theorists.

Both universities admitted that careful readers would probably realize that the comments are not authentic.

The third fix is the more careful use of cooling systems.

Careful shading draws the eye to the upturned neck and humped back of a megaceros, an extinct species of giant deer.

Be careful you don't transfer any undissolved crystals into the sterilizing solution you are preparing.

The key to a perfectly-paced meal is careful planning.

Firms with international ambitions must be careful when inventing new brand names.

Be careful with such controls if children or pets use the garden, since bait is attractive to them.

However, researchers are careful not to claim that minds cause an effect or that they know the nature of the communication.

Although maybe they're more careful with administrator's evals than with professor's evals.

The existing tools of insecticide-treated bed nets and treatment drugs require careful co-ordination and good health systems.

Again, be careful of the local wildlife, for your own safety and theirs.

SciAm should be more careful about the soundness of its articles.

The researchers were also careful to point out that the residues didn't contain any intact melanin.

The open floor plan and careful window placement eliminate the need.

Be careful not to do permanent damage when removing the cover.

Shelley knew there was no way to be careful enough to avoid an internecine showdown.

Still, there is a risk that these careful leaders will eventually lose control of the street.

Ask them to take careful notes on the purposes of each map projection they read about.

Minimalist art isn't always easy to read, so careful consideration has to be paid to what visual elements are there before you.

Careful not to burn yourself, or, you know… blind someone.

Often this can mean rapid progress toward your degree, but be careful.

Some composed careful tableaux of empty clothing and abandoned dinners.

Scientists keep careful statistics on the abundance, survival, and reproduction of a population to.

The chemical requires careful handling, because as a pyrophoric, it catches fire when exposed to air.

Be careful weaving through the piles of delicate antique plates stacked inside, where you'll find a mostly used.

Supposedly this would calm traffic and make drivers more careful around the soft humans as they cross the street.

Waitlists are crucial for careful enrollment management.

He has moved briskly but has been careful to keep investors informed about the central bank's operations.

Just be careful and watch over your loved ones after this procedure.

One must always be careful who you worship, because you will be bound to be disappointed.

Tamilio was careful not to single out any particular design.

It would move the science along more quickly and allow trials with careful safeguards for patients.

Scrupulous fossil collectors are careful always to get permission.

And you have to be careful not to lose water in the operation.

Even so, you've got to be careful when handling the thing.

And be careful not to let people make the kids/no kids thing into a judgment about your worth as a person.

By painting numbers in careful succession from one to infinity, or as near to it as he was destined to.

So you sometimes have to be careful what you accept as being evidence of some disputed fact.

And be careful about the temperature at which you store gelatin that's already mixed and set.

The autocratic businessman-turned-politician was careful to attach a personal brand to his popular policies.

Finally, after weeks of careful digging, the scientists peered through the ancient dust.

And then don't forget to be more careful in the days after you adjust your clocks.

Shifting people on to high-speed trains has needed both careful planning and political consensus.

Learning from chimpanzees through careful and noninvasive methods.

He is careful to note that there are plenty of cases where those goals are linked-but also many where they are not:.

The market is made up of five separate trading halls, and careful thought has been put into what fruits and vegetables go where.

After a careful purification procedure, the researchers isolated a previously unknown pigment, which they dubbed sclerocitrin.

Careful insulation makes my energy consumption so low the electric company sent a man to check the meter.

Add the mayonnaise mixture to the crabmeat and mix, being careful not to break up the lumps of crabmeat.

Careful consideration of the examples above shows why.

Also, these agencies keep careful track of how the prairie-chicken population.

When he looks at a flower, he knows exactly where to go and to then make the careful observations.

Ask students to keep careful lists of the similarities and differences among the threats.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

careful (ˈkɛəfʊl)

—*adj*
1.	cautious in attitude or action; prudent
2.	painstaking in one's work; thorough: he wrote very careful script
3.	(usually postpositive; foll by of, in, or about) solicitous; protective: careful of one's reputation
4.	archaic full of care; anxious
5.	(Brit) mean or miserly

'carefully

—*adv*

'carefulness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

careful

O.E. cearful "mournful," also "full of care or woe," "full of concern" (for someone or something), thus "applying attention, painstaking, circumspect;" from care + -ful.

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"Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil."

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