as in examining
to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition)
the project's time constraints make it impossible for the programmers to scrutinize every line of code, so some bugs should be expected
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Recent Examples of scrutinizing
Bennett’s book seems to question whether scrutinizing every new gendered archetype or behavior, in the disembodied way social media encourages, is productive.
—
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Climate Central’s version of the database will be more granular than the government’s, tracking events that do as little as $100 million worth of damage and scrutinizing wildfires more closely, logging individual blazes as opposed to seasonal regional figures, as the government does.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
That’s when Danielle went into full detective mode, scrutinizing everything that touched her skin—lotions, serums, hair products, even the family’s laundry detergent.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 9 Oct. 2025
The White House is scrutinizing ways to keep federal workers who were furloughed during the government shutdown from receiving back pay.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Historically, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism, Lappé added.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
The case has gone viral online, with many users scrutinizing Burke’s song lyrics.
—Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Looking at Via Lactea (the Milky Way's Latin name) with a telescope — except to view certain highlights — is akin to closely scrutinizing a painting with a magnifying glass, which only reveals the coarse canvas, and not the actual art itself.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Climate Central’s version of the database will be more granular than the government’s, tracking events that do as little as $100 million worth of damage and scrutinizing wildfires more closely, logging individual blazes as opposed to seasonal regional figures, as the government does.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
That’s when Danielle went into full detective mode, scrutinizing everything that touched her skin—lotions, serums, hair products, even the family’s laundry detergent.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 9 Oct. 2025
The White House is scrutinizing ways to keep federal workers who were furloughed during the government shutdown from receiving back pay.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Historically, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism, Lappé added.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
The case has gone viral online, with many users scrutinizing Burke’s song lyrics.
—Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Looking at Via Lactea (the Milky Way's Latin name) with a telescope — except to view certain highlights — is akin to closely scrutinizing a painting with a magnifying glass, which only reveals the coarse canvas, and not the actual art itself.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrutinizing
Verb
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The film presents a fresh perspective on the history of American and Japanese relations, exploring how sports serve as a cultural mediator, and examining the bond that baseball forged between the two countries.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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Rest of the world is watching Other countries are paying close attention to the drone battles in the Black Sea, drawing lessons and examining whether they can be applied to waters elsewhere.—
Anastasiia Malenko,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Two French law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that investigators are aware of the video and are reviewing it for clues as part of the investigation.—
Lilia Geho,
ABC News,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways Apple's new Preview app in iOS 26 makes editing and scanning documents easier than ever.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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My process involves regularly scanning for stocks achieving new three-month highs.—
David Keller,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Then, in May 1899, after returning from surveying a railroad property, Gillham fell ill.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
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Paul Eskenazi, the location manager, worried about the construction chaos but recalls Carter’s surveying the unfinished rooms and immediately recognizing their potential.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the artifacts while inspecting parcels enroute from overseas shippers to private collectors, including a person in Edgewater, Maryland.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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Other violations, like the Israel army’s killing of six Palestinian civilians inspecting their homes after the ceasefire was announced, aren’t anomalies.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrutinizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrutinizing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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