1
as in cautious
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble
careful drivers slow down on slick or icy roadways
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in meticulous
taking, showing, or involving great care and effort
that furniture maker was known to be a most careful worker, so his output was small
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Recent Examples of careful
Layer and bake your pie If the beef mixture is already in an ovenproof skillet, spread the mashed potatoes over top, being careful not to squish them down.
—
Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
Remaining careful not to reveal the baby’s face, the two stars have shared many photos of their son over the past year, with Justin most recently posting a snap of himself and his mini-me in the studio.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 July 2025
Dexter stalks his next victim (Marc Menchaca) — a killer who targets ride-share drivers — while the ghost of his father Harry (James Remar) urges him to be careful, and a fidgety Harrison tries to evade police suspicions.
—EW.com, 10 July 2025
In reality, Israel overpowered Iran’s military and outwitted its intelligence with stunning efficiency, demonstrating years, if not decades, of careful preparation in under two weeks.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for careful
Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
Remaining careful not to reveal the baby’s face, the two stars have shared many photos of their son over the past year, with Justin most recently posting a snap of himself and his mini-me in the studio.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 July 2025
Dexter stalks his next victim (Marc Menchaca) — a killer who targets ride-share drivers — while the ghost of his father Harry (James Remar) urges him to be careful, and a fidgety Harrison tries to evade police suspicions.
—EW.com, 10 July 2025
In reality, Israel overpowered Iran’s military and outwitted its intelligence with stunning efficiency, demonstrating years, if not decades, of careful preparation in under two weeks.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for careful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careful
Adjective
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Teams tend to be especially cautious with injuries this time of year.—
Garrett Chorpenning,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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They are known to be cautious and spend most of their time on high rocky slopes mostly inaccessible to humans, making sightings rare.—
Lauren Liebhaber
July 8,
Miami Herald,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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But there was a time Emily Deschanel, who played the meticulous forensic anthropologist through 12 seasons of Bones, got scolded for being just that — and the memory still makes the star emotional.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
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Every visual element, on the sets and on the actors, looks like it has been placed there with meticulous intention.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Be wary of anyone who claims to be an insurance specialist that is not from your insurance company or was not sent by your insurance company.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
13 July 2025
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Also be wary of landlords who are out of the country.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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The documents included emails, personal essays and other academic records, which showed Crooks to be a conscientious and intelligent college student with an interest in engineering as well as a clear skepticism of the federal government and corporations.—
Emily Mae Czachor
July 13,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
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More than 70% of participants were classified as open-minded, conscientious, and emotionally stable, suggesting the sample may not reflect the broader personality distribution in the general population, the authors noted.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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The alert impacts regions ranging from the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula to the southernmost counties, including major cities such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Traverse City.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
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Be alert to warning signs: Educate yourself about the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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The actress not only received laughs as the loving and witty wife of her husband, George, but also made television history.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
2 July 2025
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More from Think Texas: 'Loyal and loving native son': Ben Johnson writes compelling yet critical history of Texas The Runaway Scrape set the mold.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Although resilience often looks like luck or good character, the ability to prevent or reduce losses from any type of risk entails careful planning and diligent efforts.—
Louis Gritzo,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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The group was not always diligent about following military directives.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careful. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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