careful
English
Alternative forms
- carefull (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English careful, from Old English carful, ċearful (“careful, anxious, curious, troubled”); equivalent to care + -ful.
Adjective
careful (comparative more careful, superlative most careful)
- Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.
- He was a slow and careful driver.
- Conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.
- They made a careful search of the crime scene.
- (obsolete) Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.
- 1485 July 31, Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London]: […] [by William Caxton], OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: Published by David Nutt, […], 1889, OCLC 890162034:
- ‘Alas,’ sayde Sir Cadore, ‘now carefull is myne herte that now lyeth dede my cosyn that I beste loved.’
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- (obsolete) Full of cares or anxiety; worried, troubled.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:
- Where through long watch, and late daies weary toile, / She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:cautious
- See also Thesaurus:meticulous
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
cautious
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meticulous
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