The Meaning of Thoroughly: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of thoroughly? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word thoroughly, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word thoroughly mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, thoroughly (adv.) means to do something in a  complete manner so that nothing is forgotten. Thoroughly is three syllables – thor-ough-ly – and the pronunciation of thoroughly is θɜːroʊ in American English or ˈθʌrə in UK English. Many types of people do things thoroughly, such as a thorough worker, thorough analysis, a thorough actress who prepares for auditions, thorough manner, a thorough investigation, a thorough waste of time, a thorough researcher, thorough prep, and more. The word Thorough can also be used as a proper noun in English History to refer to the Earl of Stafford and Archbishop Laud’s administrative policies during the reign of Charles I in England.

Many different languages also use words that mean thoroughly. You might notice that some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates. Cognates occur when two words from different languages look and sound similar, and also mean similar things. These are formed when two words have the same language of origin or root. This list of translations of thoroughly is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Bengali: (of attention to detail) পুঙ্খানুপুঙ্খ‎
  •  German: gründlich‎
  •  Finnish: huolellinen‎, perinpohjainen‎, perusteellinen‎, läpikotainen‎
  •  Catalan: minuciós‎
  •  Dutch: grondig‎, diepgaand‎
  •  Spanish: minucioso‎
  •  Bokmål: grundig‎
  •  Russian: тща́тельный‎, доскона́льный‎, основа́тельный‎, (of a report, answer) исче́рпывающий‎, (complete) по́лный‎, всесторо́нний‎
  •  Nynorsk: grundig‎
  •  French: minutieux‎ (masc.), minutieuse‎ (fem.), soigné‎ (masc.), soignée‎ (fem.)
  •  Mandarin: 周密‎ (zhōumì), 彻底‎ (chèdǐ), 完全‎ (wánquán), 深入‎ (shēnrù)
  •  Italian: minuzioso‎ (masc.), accurato‎ (masc.)
  •  Arabic: مُفَصَل‎ (masc.)
  •  Swedish: grundlig‎
  •  Portuguese: minucioso‎ (masc.), rigoroso‎ (masc.), detalhada‎
  •  Vietnamese: hoàn toàn‎
  •  Scots: thora‎, thorae‎
  •  Romanian: minuțios‎, amănunțit‎
  •  Maori: tōtōpū‎, ngaio‎
  •  Hungarian: alapos‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: pongail‎
  •  Czech: důkladný‎ (masc.)
  •  Icelandic: ítarlegur‎ (masc.)
  •  Polish: gruntowny‎ (masc.)
  •  Egyptian Arabic: مفصل‎

What is the origin of the word thoroughly?

According to Etymonline, the word thoroughly comes from the Old English thurh and Old English thuruh, which can be compared to the Old Frisian thruch, Old Saxon thuru, and Old High German duruh.

What are synonyms and antonyms of thoroughly?

There are a plethora of different words that a person can use in place of the word thoroughly. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  unalloyed
  •  arrant
  •  utter
  •  all-encompassing
  •  extensive
  •  radical
  •  attentive
  •  broad
  •  unqualified
  •  thoroughly
  •  scrupulous
  •  rigorous
  •  profound
  •  in-depth
  •  complete
  •  outright
  •  unmitigated
  •  full
  •  assiduous
  •  detailed
  •  comprehensive
  •  inclusive
  •  encyclopedic
  •  sweeping
  •  punctilious
  •  downright
  •  consummate
  •  exhaustive
  •  deep
  •  entire
  •  thoroughgoing
  •  sheer
  •  diligent
  •  minute
  •  all-out
  •  all-inclusive
  •  close
  •  meticulous
  •  whole
  •  painstaking
  •  wide-ranging
  •  real
  •  rank
  •  completed
  •  across the board
  •  intensive
  •  full-scale
  •  fully
  •  firsthand
  •  through-and-through
  •  strict
  •  wholesale
  •  far-reaching
  •  omnibus
  •  plenary
  •  searching
  •  global
  •  in depth
  •  sedulous
  •  fastidious
  •  uncut
  •  stark
  •  wall-to-wall
  •  exact
  •  categorical
  •  all-in
  •  undivided
  •  clean
  •  overall
  •  blanket
  •  accurate
  •  encyclopaedic
  •  deliberate
  •  universal
  •  blow-by-blow
  •  studious
  •  particularized
  •  intimate
  •  methodical
  •  elaborate
  •  dedicated
  •  dead
  •  perfectionist
  •  depth
  •  detail
  •  itemized
  •  circumstantial
  •  integral
  •  unreserved
  •  unabridged
  •  perfect
  •  all-embracing
  •  precise
  •  careful
  •  absolute
  •  particular
  •  pure
  •  conscientious
  •  out-and-out
  •  total

There are also a number of different words in the English language that have the opposite meaning of the word grudge. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms for thoroughly is also provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  imprecise
  •  slovenly
  •  sketchy
  •  erroneous
  •  halfhearted
  •  cursory
  •  abridged
  •  inaccurate
  •  summary
  •  partial
  •  insufficient
  •  off
  •  restricted
  •  ambiguous
  •  shortened
  •  fallacious
  •  mistaken
  •  Shallow
  •  dicey
  •  careless of
  •  controlled
  •  absent minded
  •  casual
  •  apocryphal
  •  corrupt
  •  absent-minded
  •  abnormal
  •  compact
  •  artificial
  •  determinate
  •  assuming
  •  colored
  •  concocted
  •  unsound
  •  counterfactual
  •  bridled
  •  diminished
  •  clueless
  •  broad
  •  approximate
  •  confined
  •  atypical
  •  absentminded
  •  desultory
  •  deceitful
  •  wrong
  •  cooked-up
  •  bogus
  •  aberrant
  •  coloured
  •  corrupted
  •  bound
  •  deceptive
  •  detained
  •  anomalous
  •  arse about face
  •  conjectural
  •  untruthful
  •  bitty
  •  basic
  •  deviant
  •  curtailed
  •  delimited
  •  biased
  •  constrained
  •  deceiving
  •  vague
  •  counterfeit
  •  ponky
  •  indeterminate
  •  specious
  •  faulty
  •  careless
  •  incorrect
  •  circumscribed
  •  unfinished
  •  false
  •  abbreviated
  •  improper
  •  defective
  •  imperfect
  •  narrow
  •  work-shy
  •  unreliable
  •  inadequate
  •  invalid
  •  unorganized
  •  brief
  •  negligent
  •  flawed
  •  incomplete
  •  equivocal
  •  disorganized
  •  not good
  •  patchy
  •  untrue
  •  deficient
  •  inexact
  •  limited
  •  superficial

How can the word thoroughly be used in a sentence?

The word thoroughly can be used in many ways in natural sounding English. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes to test your knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are many different usage examples of thoroughly to get you started. 

She made sure she had reviewed her Olympics knowledge before taking the Olympics quiz. She knew every single gold medal winner from the last fifteen Olympics, both Summer and Winter.

She did a thorough investigation of the premises after she saw the utter shock on the family’s face. She scoured every inch of the front room, even the carpet, and found remnants of a bottle of pills and dust from a revolver on the surface of the kitchen counter

In an exhaustive manner, they thoroughly swept the entire island looking for  people with the biceps complex of muscle fiber they were looking for for their research project.

The thorough author thought of everything for her clever book, and the readers loved all of the plot twists that she placed throughout. This book was a tremendous success, unlike last time.

Matthew had thorough, extensive rehearsals for the wedding. He wanted to make sure that the participants knew what they were doing, and that he would have a perfect wedding album to look back on after the ceremony was over. 

Overall, the word thoroughly means being done in a detailed manner so that one does not forget anything. This word is an adverb.

Sources:

  1. thorough: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Thorough definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  3. Thorough synonyms – 1 612 Words and Phrases for Thorough | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Thorough antonyms – 575 Opposites of Thorough | Power Thesaurus 
  5. thorough | Origin and meaning of thorough | Online Etymology Dictionary