careful

adjective
/ˈkɛɹfəl/

Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.

Example

“He was a slow and careful driver.”

Other meanings

conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.
“They made a careful search of the crime scene.”
Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.

Synonyms

deliberate

Related words

noncareful
overcareful
ultracareful
uncareful
be careful
be careful what you wish for
carefully
carefulness

Example sentences

“Be careful not to let the cat out.”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0
“Crisis management involves careful planning and quick decisions.”
Tatoeba · Igider · CC0

Word history

From Old English "carful".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “careful” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.