Scrutiny
//ˈskɹuː.tɪ.ni// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Intense study of someone or something. uncountable, usually
"Thenceforth I thought thee worth my nearer view / And narrower scrutiny."
- 2 the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes) wordnet
- 3 Thorough inspection of a situation or a case. uncountable, usually
"come under scrutiny"
- 4 a prolonged intense look wordnet
- 5 An examination of catechumens, in the last week of Lent, who were to receive baptism on Easter Day. uncountable, usually
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A ticket, or little paper billet, on which a vote is written. uncountable, usually
- 7 An examination by a committee of the votes given at an election, for the purpose of correcting the poll. uncountable, usually
"The Returning Officer on the day appointed to make a scrutiny of the poll"
Verb
- 1 To scrutinize. obsolete, rare
Example
More examples"Corporate political donations are coming under heavy scrutiny."
Etymology
From Middle English scrutiny, from Medieval Latin scrūtinium (“a search, an inquiry”), from Vulgar Latin scrūtor (“to search or examine thoroughly”), from Late Latin scrūta (“rubbish, broken trash”), from an extension of Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”).
Related phrases
More for "scrutiny"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.