thorough

1 of 3

adjective

thor·​ough ˈthər-(ˌ)ō 

 sometimes  ˈthȯr-;

ˈthə-(ˌ)rō

1

: carried through to completion : exhaustive

a thorough search

2

a

: marked by full detail

a thorough description

b

: careful about detail : painstaking

a thorough scholar

c

: complete in all respects

thorough pleasure

d

: having full mastery (as of an art)

a thorough musician

thoroughness noun

thorough

2 of 3

preposition

archaic

: through

thorough

3 of 3

adverb

archaic

: through

Synonyms

Adjective

• absolute
• all-out
• arrant
• blank
• blooming [chiefly British]
• bodacious [Southern & Midland]
• categorical
• categoric
• clean
• complete
• consummate
• crashing
• damn
• damned
• dead
• deadly
• definite
• downright
• dreadful
• fair
• flat
• flat-out
• out-and-out
• outright
• perfect
• plumb
• profound
• pure
• rank
• regular
• sheer
• simple
• stark
• stone
• straight-out
• thoroughgoing
• total
• unadulterated
• unalloyed
• unconditional
• unmitigated
• unqualified
• utter
• very

Examples of thorough in a Sentence

Adjective

… one realized that it was the restaurant's thorough and even comic Frenchness that had made it so entirely New York. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2004

Bruce tells me to squat down and Koani sidles up, ears flattened, tail tucked away, and gives my face a thorough licking. —Nicholas Evans, Daily Telegraph, 26 Sept. 1998

The job was uncharacteristically thorough for a Russian contract killing—three different types of bullets riddled Mikho's body. —New Republic, 15 Dec. 1997

a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations

The investigator will have to be thorough.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Exporters must renew export licenses every year and will be required to file more thorough purchase orders in many countries. —David Kocieniewski / Bloomberg, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024

These thorough profiles contain personal details, pay options, W-4 information, and deductions and contributions (Patriot Software does not act as a benefits broker, as competitors like Gusto do, and which larger companies would likely want). —PCMAG, 25 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Preposition, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle English thorow, from Old English thurh, thuruh, preposition & adverb

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thorough

• thorough-paced

Kids Definition

thorough

adjective

thor·​ough

ˈthər-ō,

ˈthə-rō

1

: marked by or carried out to completion : exhaustive

a thorough search

2

: careful about detail

a thorough worker

thoroughly adverb

thoroughness noun

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thorow "thorough," from Old English thuruh, thurh "through" — related to thrill, through see Word History at thrill