thor ‧ ough /ˈθʌrə $ ˈθʌroʊ, ˈθʌrə/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: thorough 'through' (11-21 centuries) , from through ]
1 . including every possible detail ⇨ thoroughly :
The doctor gave him a thorough check-up.
a thorough and detailed biography
The police investigation was very thorough.
thorough notes of the meeting
2 . [not usually before noun] careful to do things properly so that you avoid mistakes:
The screening of applicants must be thorough.
3 . a thorough pest/nuisance/mess British English used to emphasize the bad qualities of someone or something
—thoroughness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ careful trying to avoid mistakes and do everything correctly by paying a lot of attention to details:
Try to be more careful with your punctuation.
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A careful inspection showed cracks in the foundation of the building.
▪ methodical always doing things in a careful and well-organized way:
He is very methodical in his work and likes to plan everything in advance.
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This time the researchers used a more methodical approach to the problem.
▪ thorough /ˈθʌrə $ ˈθʌroʊ, ˈθʌrə/ careful to examine or deal with every part of something, so that you do not miss anything important:
There will be a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death.
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Our mechanics will check everything – they’re very thorough.
▪ meticulous very careful about every small detail in order to make sure everything is done correctly:
She keeps meticulous records of the students’ progress.
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He was meticulous about keeping the place clean and tidy.
▪ systematic using a fixed plan in a careful and well-organized way in order to do everything that you should:
a systematic review of the scientific evidence
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We need a systematic way to evaluate employees.
▪ painstaking using a lot of time and effort to do something in a very careful and thorough way:
The book is the result of ten years of painstaking research.
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They began the long and painstaking task of translating his work into English.