thoroughly

adverb

thor·​ough·​ly ˈthər-(ˌ)ō-lē 

 sometimes  ˈthȯr-;

ˈthə-(ˌ)rō-

: in a complete or thorough manner

Police thoroughly searched the crime scene for clues.

Bats are extremely tidy: they comb themselves thoroughly, and don't gather a mess of nesting materials for their homes, as birds do.

—Diane Ackerman

: to a complete or thorough extent

We were thoroughly satisfied with the service we received.

thoroughly disgusted/delighted

By taking all the tricks in the game, one defeats the opponent so thoroughly that he may be disconcerted …

—Craig M. Carver

Synonyms

• completely
• comprehensively
• detailedly
• exhaustively
• fully
• inside out
• minutely
• roundly
• sweepingly
• systematically
• through and through
• totally

Examples of thoroughly in a Sentence

they researched the issue thoroughly before deciding how to vote

I am thoroughly satisfied with her explanation of the events of that evening

Recent Examples on the Web

Finish filling and add to pie plate: Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture; whisk thoroughly to combine. —Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024

Modi: Vikings -4 The Jaguars are in free fall, and, despite the final score showing a one-score loss, they were thoroughly dominated by the Eagles last week. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Any vendor that accesses or stores your sensitive, protected or confidential data must be thoroughly evaluated. —Paul Blough, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

ProPublica has thoroughly examined the impact of those laws over the last two years. —ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above