careful
- 01 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.
Simple“Please be careful with that glass vase because it is very expensive.”
In context“The mountain guide warned the hikers to be careful of loose rocks as they navigated the narrow ridge.”
PitfallBe careful for the wet floor. Be careful of the wet floor.Use 'of' or 'with' after careful when pointing out a specific danger.
- 02 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.
Simple“After a careful check of the numbers, she found the mistake in the report.”
In context“A careful analysis of the data revealed several trends that the initial research team had completely overlooked.”
Synonyms
Usage careful human · careful selection · careful consideration
From Middle English careful, from Old English carful; equivalent to care + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.