as in careful
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble
heedful of snakes, we watched our footing while walking through the tall grass to the lake's edge
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Recent Examples of heedful
In ancient times a heedful list is a ship of the mind.
—
Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
Her heedful eyes meet those of a young Black girl in overalls and braids on the other side of the room.
—Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023
That’s partly because retailers have grown less heedful about developing the necessary pipelines, a problem that’s worsened in recent years as retailers saw profits crushed by a push into low-margin e-commerce.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2023
As with recent demands to defund the police or abolish ICE amid our domestic upheavals, such calls should be heard not as literal policy prescriptions but as cries from the heart that demand heedful response.
—Suzanne Nossel, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
Zhi-shay’ was horrified by his brother’s treatment, but also heedful of the powerful pack rules in which such cruelty is embedded.
—Pamela Miller, Star Tribune, 7 Aug. 2020
McMillan initially promised to train fissile material handlers to be more heedful of plutonium-handling perils, for example, and to bring the inventory and safety documents guiding their work up to date.
—R. Jeffrey Smith, Science | AAAS, 30 June 2017
Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
Her heedful eyes meet those of a young Black girl in overalls and braids on the other side of the room.
—Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023
That’s partly because retailers have grown less heedful about developing the necessary pipelines, a problem that’s worsened in recent years as retailers saw profits crushed by a push into low-margin e-commerce.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2023
As with recent demands to defund the police or abolish ICE amid our domestic upheavals, such calls should be heard not as literal policy prescriptions but as cries from the heart that demand heedful response.
—Suzanne Nossel, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
Zhi-shay’ was horrified by his brother’s treatment, but also heedful of the powerful pack rules in which such cruelty is embedded.
—Pamela Miller, Star Tribune, 7 Aug. 2020
McMillan initially promised to train fissile material handlers to be more heedful of plutonium-handling perils, for example, and to bring the inventory and safety documents guiding their work up to date.
—R. Jeffrey Smith, Science | AAAS, 30 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heedful
Adjective
-
Although careful planning is essential, action generates momentum.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Overall, Coney Barrett took a very careful route, avoiding the more strident criticism of the Trump administration while siding with the liberals in criticizing the Supreme Court majority for agreeing to take the case.—
Sean O'Driscoll,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Dawn Staley, who’s undefeated in NCAA finals, is cautious in taking that fact into consideration.—
Roberta F. Rodrigues,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Be cautious about fertilizing, as nitrogen can interfere with blooming.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Subject to partisan litmus tests, military leaders might be wary of offering advice that contradicts the administration’s priorities.—
Risa Brooks,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Apr. 2025
-
That might mean that a recession caused by the Trump administration's tariff policy would actually drive adoption of artificial intelligence by companies that have so far been wary of the tech.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Here's a breakdown of the three-tiered alert system from the NWS and what each level entails: High wind warning: Take action!—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
The man appeared alert, yelling and craning his head as he was hoisted into the vehicle.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heedful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heedful. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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