Careful

How to spell careful

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce careful

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does careful mean?

1. adjectiveTaking care to avoid mistakes, harm, or risk; cautious and attentive.

Careful in a sentence

• She was careful to back up every file before reformatting the drive.

• Drivers need to be especially careful on the icy bridge each winter.

Where does careful come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a native English formation, built from the Old English noun 'caru' or 'cearu', which meant 'sorrow, anxiety, or grief' rather than the lighter 'caution' we associate with it today. Over the medieval period the noun 'care' softened from its heavy sense of mental trouble toward the modern idea of taking pains and paying attention. The suffix '-ful', meaning literally 'full of', was attached to give 'full of care', so the earliest sense was closer to 'anxious' or 'sorrowful'. By the late Middle Ages the adjective had shifted toward its current meaning of being watchful and cautious, attentive to avoiding mistakes or harm. A useful spelling reminder is that although the suffix means 'full', it is always written with a single 'l' as '-ful', which is the trap that occasionally catches writers.

How the word is built

• care (caution, attention)
• -ful (full of)