What does "careful" mean?

1. (cautious and safe) thinking about what you are doing so that you do not have an accident or cause damage. 2. (precise and thorough) giving a lot of attention to details to make sure something is correct.

Is it correct to say "Be careful for the wet floor."?

No — say "Be careful of the wet floor.". Use 'of' or 'with' after careful when pointing out a specific danger.

careful

adj.

US //ˈkɛɹfəɫ// UK //kˈeəfəl// care·ful

1 cautious and safe (adj.)
A2 Elementary

thinking about what you are doing so that you do not have an accident or cause damage.

exercising caution to avoid physical danger, injury, or damage.

Example

Please be careful with that glass vase because it is very expensive.

Example

The mountain guide warned the hikers to be careful of loose rocks as they navigated the narrow ridge.
- careless
- reckless
Pitfall

Be careful for the wet floor.

Be careful of the wet floor.

Use 'of' or 'with' after careful when pointing out a specific danger.
2 precise and thorough (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

giving a lot of attention to details to make sure something is correct.

showing great attention to detail; meticulous and thorough in execution.

Example

After a careful check of the numbers, she found the mistake in the report.

Example

A careful analysis of the data revealed several trends that the initial research team had completely overlooked.
- sloppy
- hasty

Origin

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

Word family

Adjectivecareful
Adverbcarefully