carefuladjective
uk/ˈkeə.fəl/us/ˈker.fəl/A2 giving a lot of attention to what you are doing so that you do not have an accident, make a mistake, or damage something:
Be careful with the glasses.
Be careful where you put that hot pan.
Be careful to look both ways when you cross the road.
Michael is a very careful worker.
After careful consideration of your proposal, I regret to say that we are unable to accept it.
He's in a really foul temper so be careful (about/of) what you say to him.
More examples
- The path's very steep, so be careful you don't fall.
- Be careful with that vase - it's very fragile.
- You'll cut yourself on that knife if you're not careful.
- Events like these take months of careful planning.
- The burglars were careful not to leave any tracks behind them.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Cautious and vigilant
- askance
- attentive
- belt and braces idiom
- better safe than sorry idiom
- better the devil you know (than the devil you don't) idiom
- due diligence
- gingerly
- guarded
- intent
- jealous
- narrowly
- once
- once bitten, twice shy idiom
- precise
- prudent
- sedulous
- slowly
- vigilance
- vigilant
- wary
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