thorough
UK /ˈθʌɹə/ · US /ˈθʌɹoʊ/ adjective, preposition, noun, proper noun
Also a form of through
Forms thorougher thoroughest thoroughs thoro
- adjective Painstaking and careful not to miss or omit any detail. “The Prime Minister announced a thorough investigation into the death of a father-of-two in police custody.”
- adjective Utter; complete; absolute.
- preposition (archaic) Through.
- noun (UK, dialect) A furrow between two ridges, to drain off the surface water.
- proper noun (Christianity, historical) A scheme devised in 17th-century England by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford to establish absolute monarchy in England, involving the appointment of Arminian clergy.
Synonyms
comprehensive downright rigorous scrupulous outright unmitigated exhaustive thoroughgoing
Antonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
- preposition Through. [Obs.] Spenser. Shak.
- adjective Passing through; as, thorough lights in a house. [Obs.]
- adjective Passing through or to the end; hence, complete; perfect; as, a thorough reformation; thorough work; a thorough translator; a thorough poet.
- adverb Thoroughly. [Obs. or Colloq.] Chaucer.
Etymology [See Through.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “thorough”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details