careful
careful
Pronunciation
/ˈkɛərfl̩/.
First Syllable: /kɛər/
/k/: Voiceless velar plosive
/ɛə/: Diphthong, starting with a near-open front unrounded vowel and gliding towards an open-mid central unrounded vowel.
/r/: Voiced alveolar approximant
Second Syllable: /fl̩/
/f/: Voiceless labiodental fricative
/l̩/: Syllabic voiced lateral approximant
Word Form Variations
Adjective: careful (describes a noun, e.g., "a careful person")
Antonym Adjective: careless
Adverb: carefully (describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb, e.g., "He walked carefully.")
Antonym Adverb: carelessly
Noun: carefulness (refers to the quality or state of being careful, e.g., "Her carefulness prevented mistakes.")
Antonym Noun: carelessness
Related Noun: care (can refer to attention, caution, or concern, e.g., "Handle with care.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition: Exercising caution, attention, and thoroughness to avoid error, damage, or danger; showing meticulousness in one's actions or work.
Synonyms: cautious, meticulous, scrupulous, precise, vigilant, wary, circumspect, painstaking
Antonyms: careless, reckless, heedless, rash, negligent, thoughtless
Definition: Deliberate and considered in thought or action; not hasty or impulsive.
Synonyms: thoughtful, deliberate, considered, prudent, wise, discerning
Antonyms: impulsive, rash, spontaneous, impetuous
Carefully
Adverb
Definition: In a manner that shows caution, attention, and thoroughness, often to prevent mistakes or harm.
Synonyms: cautiously, meticulously, scrupulously, precisely, vigilantly, warily, circumspectly, painstakingly
Antonyms: carelessly, recklessly, heedlessly, rashly, negligently, thoughtlessly
Definition: With great thought and consideration; in a deliberate and unhurried way.
Synonyms: thoughtfully, deliberately, considerately, prudently, wisely, discerningly
Antonyms: impulsively, rashly, spontaneously, impetuously
Carefulness
Noun
Definition: The quality or state of being attentive, cautious, and thorough, particularly in avoiding mistakes, damage, or danger.
Synonyms: caution, meticulousness, scrupulousness, precision, vigilance, wariness, circumspection, painstakingness, prudence
Antonyms: carelessness, recklessness, heedlessness, rashness, negligence, thoughtlessness
Definition: The practice of thinking and acting in a deliberate and well-considered manner.
Synonyms: deliberation, prudence, thoughtfulness, discretion, wisdom
Antonyms: impulsiveness, rashness, spontaneity, impetuousness
Care
Noun (related but distinct)
Definition: Serious attention or consideration given to something, often to ensure its well-being, accuracy, or proper handling.
Synonyms: attention, concern, solicitude, diligence, heed, caution
Antonyms: neglect, disregard, indifference, inattention
Definition: A state of worry, anxiety, or emotional burden. (This definition is less directly related to "careful" as an adjective of caution, but is a common meaning of the root word.)
Synonyms: worry, anxiety, concern, trouble, distress, burden
Antonyms: peace, tranquility, calmness, serenity
Verb (related but distinct)
Definition: To feel concern or interest; to be troubled or affected by something.
Synonyms: be concerned, be interested, mind, bother
Antonyms: disregard, ignore, neglect, be indifferent
Definition: To look after or provide for someone or something; to take charge of.
Synonyms: tend, look after, mind, nurture, protect, supervise
Antonyms: neglect, abandon, forsake
Examples of Use
Books:
"Atticus was a careful driver, and he never went over thirty miles an hour." (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird)
"He chose his words carefully, trying not to offend anyone with his blunt assessment." (From a contemporary novel, specific title not provided to avoid attribution issues, but representative of common usage)
"The carefulness of her brushstrokes was evident in every detail of the miniature portrait." (From an art history text)
Newspapers:
"The central bank urged financial institutions to exercise careful oversight of their lending practices." (The Wall Street Journal, recent financial news)
"Police are carefully sifting through evidence at the crime scene, looking for any new leads." (The Daily Nation, Kenya, recent local news)
"The report highlighted the need for greater carefulness in handling sensitive personal data online." (The Guardian, recent privacy news)
Online Publications:
"When following a new recipe, it's crucial to measure ingredients carefully to achieve the desired results." (Food52.com, recipe article)
"Cryptocurrency investors are advised to be extremely careful when choosing exchange platforms due to the risk of scams." (CoinDesk.com, investment advice)
"The success of the new product launch depended heavily on the carefulness of the marketing team's strategy." (Forbes.com, business article)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film Dialogue: "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." (Common trope in fantasy or cautionary tales, e.g., The Monkey's Paw adaptations)
Song Lyrics: "I've got to be careful, I've got to be strong / Don't let my heart lead me wrong." (Generic pop song lyric, illustrating common themes)
Video Game Instruction: "Walk carefully across the ice. One wrong step could send you plunging into the abyss." (In-game text or tutorial in an adventure game like The Legend of Zelda series)
Podcast Discussion: "We need to carefully consider the ethical implications of AI before fully integrating it into society." (From a technology ethics podcast)
Social Media Post (e.g., Twitter/X): "Always be #careful who you trust online. Scammers are everywhere. #cybersecurity" (Public service announcement or user-generated advice)
General Public Discourse:
Parent to Child: "Be careful crossing the street!" (Common instruction for safety)
Friend to Friend: "I'm trying to be more careful with my spending this month." (Discussion about personal finance)
Workplace Advice: "Please review this document carefully before sending it out to the client." (Instruction from a manager to an employee)
Public Safety Announcement: "Exercise extreme carefulness on the roads during the rainy season." (Radio announcement or public sign)
General Observation: "You can tell by the way she organizes her desk that she has a lot of carefulness in her work." (Everyday observation about someone's habits)
10 Famous Quotes Using Careful
"Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." (Popular adage, origin often attributed to Aesop's Fables or folk wisdom)
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." (Often misattributed to Thomas Jefferson, but a paraphrasing of a statement by John Philpot Curran)
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it." (Lord Acton, in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1887 – Note: While "careful" isn't present, the quote emphasizes the need for carefulness in wielding power.)
"You have to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." (Yogi Berra)
"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." (Thomas Jefferson – Note: This implies a careful, diligent approach to work.)
"It is better to be safe than sorry." (Common proverb)
"Look before you leap." (Common proverb)
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." (Common proverb, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin – Note: Emphasizes carefulness and foresight.)
"We must be careful not to make a god of the State." (Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, 1885)
"The very first principle of success in life is to be careful in all your dealings." (Andrew Carnegie, The Gospel of Wealth)
Etymology
The word "careful" has a pretty interesting journey through the English language, and its meaning has actually shifted quite a bit over time!
It comes from Old English, which is the earliest form of the English language spoken before about 1150 AD. In Old English, the word was "cearful" (sometimes "carful").
Let's break down its parts:
"Cearu" (or "caru"): This Old English word meant "sorrow," "grief," "anxiety," or "worry." It also had a sense of "serious mental attention" or "concern caused by apprehension of evil." So, picture someone burdened by worries or deeply concerned about something.
"-ful": This is a very old suffix that still means "full of" today (think "beautiful," "joyful").
So, when you put them together, the first known meaning of "careful" (cearful) in Old English was actually "mournful," "sad," or "full of worry/woe/anxiety." It described a state of being troubled or burdened by concerns.
However, even in late Old English, the meaning started to evolve. From "full of concern" or "anxious," it gradually developed the sense we use most today: "applying attention," "painstaking," or "circumspect" (meaning watchful and discreet). This shift moved from being filled with worry to being attentive because of worry or concern for a good outcome.
So, while today "careful" means "taking proper attention to avoid mistakes," its roots are in a feeling of being burdened or anxious, which then led to the idea of paying close attention to prevent those anxieties from becoming reality.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Careful
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "careful" or its related concepts:
Be careful! (A common warning)
Careful with that! (An instruction to handle something delicately or cautiously)
Careful does it. (An encouragement to proceed slowly and precisely)
To be careful about something (To show concern or caution regarding a specific matter)
To be careful of something/someone (To be wary or on guard against a potential danger or person)
To tread carefully (To proceed with extreme caution, often in a sensitive situation)
To walk a careful line (To maintain a balanced or neutral position in a difficult situation)
A careful eye (Referring to a watchful or observant gaze)
A careful listener (Someone who pays close attention to what is being said)
A careful decision (A choice made after much thought and consideration)
To handle with care (An instruction for delicate items, emphasizing carefulness)
To choose your words carefully (To speak thoughtfully and with precision)
To take care (To be cautious, or as a farewell, meaning "be well")
To take good care of something/someone (To look after something/someone diligently)
To err on the side of caution (To choose the safer option, even if it means being overly careful)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of careful from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
