thorough

B1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /ˈθʌɹoʊ/ UK /ˈθʌɹə/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like furrow /θ/ vs /f/

Freq #7298

Meanings

1

adj
Careful and complete, leaving nothing out.

The police carried out a thorough investigation.
2

adj
Complete in every way; absolute.

The trip was a thorough waste of time.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · careful and complete,... comprehensive exhaustive

2 adj · complete in every way;... downright utter

More meticulous outright rigorous scrupulous total unmitigated

Opposites

cursory superficialsurface-level

Word family

Derived forms thorough-stitchthoroughbred thoroughfare thoroughgoing thoroughlythoroughnessthoroughsped

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

thorough search
a search that examines every part carefully

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Thorough comes from Old English thuruh, an altered form of thurh, “through”; both forms were originally used with the meaning of through. By the late 15th century thorough had developed the adjectival sense “carried out in every detail,” while its older meaning “extending through” survives in thoroughfare.

Etymology

From Middle English thoruȝ, þoruȝ, from Old English þuruh, a byform of Old English þurh, whence comes English through. The adjective derives from the preposition and adverb. The word developed a syllabic form in cases where the word was fully stressed: when it was used as an adverb, adjective, or noun, and less commonly when used as a preposition.

*terh₂- Proto-Indo-European thoruȝ Middle English þuruh Old English þurh Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# thorough

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈθʌɹoʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈθʌɹə/
**Frequency rank:** 7298

## Meanings
1. Careful and complete, leaving nothing out.
2. Complete in every way; absolute.

## Examples
- The police carried out a thorough investigation.
- The trip was a thorough waste of time.

## Synonyms
- comprehensive
- meticulous
- outright
- rigorous
- scrupulous
- total
- unmitigated

## Antonyms
- cursory
- superficial
- surface-level

## Derived Forms
- thorough-stitch
- thoroughbred
- thoroughfare
- thoroughgoing
- thoroughly
- thoroughness
- thoroughsped

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *terh₂-
- Root: thoruȝ
- Root: þuruh
- Root: þurh

## Etymology
From Middle English thoruȝ, þoruȝ, from Old English þuruh, a byform of Old English þurh, whence comes English through. The adjective derives from the preposition and adverb. The word developed a syllabic form in cases where the word was fully stressed: when it was used as an adverb, adjective, or noun, and less commonly when used as a preposition.

## AI Etymology
Thorough is from Middle English thoruȝ, þoruȝ, from Old English þuruh, a byform of Old English þurh, whence comes English through. The adjective derives from the preposition and adverb. The word developed a syllabic form in cases where the word was fully stressed: when it was used as an adverb, adjective, or noun, and less commonly when used as a preposition. In present-day use, it can mean careful and complete, leaving nothing out, or complete in every way; absolute.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

markdown