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
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.
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
Rami Harajli, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
After finding and greeting Trooper, Sunshine Animal Rescue brought the dog to Town and Country Animal Hospital for a thorough exam.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
The House Ethics Committee haas spent years conducting a thorough investigation to get to the bottomo f it.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
Three years later, at issue for the parents is that no thorough investigation with complete participation by school officials and staff has ever been conducted since the shooting.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorough 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
By maintaining robust governance structures, conducting thorough risk assessments and fostering innovation, family offices remain well-positioned to meet the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities of an evolving market landscape.
—Rami Harajli, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
After finding and greeting Trooper, Sunshine Animal Rescue brought the dog to Town and Country Animal Hospital for a thorough exam.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
The House Ethics Committee haas spent years conducting a thorough investigation to get to the bottomo f it.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
Three years later, at issue for the parents is that no thorough investigation with complete participation by school officials and staff has ever been conducted since the shooting.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorough
Dictionary Entries Near thorough
Cite this Entry
“Thorough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorough. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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