# careful

Pronunciation: say "KAIR-fuhl" US /ˈkɛɹfl̩/, UK /ˈkɛːfl̩/

## Adjective

1. Giving close attention to what one is doing in order to avoid danger, error, or harm; cautious.
   - Simple: Paying close attention so you do not get hurt or make a mistake.
   - _Drivers should be especially careful on mountain roads after dark._
   - _He gave a careful answer, aware that reporters were listening to every word._
2. Conscientious and painstaking, giving close and thorough attention to every detail; meticulous.
   - Simple: Doing something with great attention so that every detail is right.
   - _Years of careful research went into the final report._
   - _The restorers were careful with every brushstroke on the old painting._
3. Avoiding unnecessary spending and any waste of money, at times so strictly that it shades into stinginess.
   - Simple: Not wasting money and spending it only when you need to, sometimes so much that you seem cheap.
   - _Having grown up with very little, he is careful with every dollar he earns._
   - _Her friends call her careful, though when the check arrives some would say tight-fisted._

## Adjective

4. Weighed down by worries and anxieties; troubled in mind. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Full of worry, with many troubles on your mind.
5. Full of grief or sorrow; deeply sad. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Feeling very sad, with a heart full of grief.

## Origin

Made of "care" and the suffix "-ful", the word was "carful" in Old English and "careful" in Middle English.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/careful (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).