Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Scrutinize |
ScrutinizeVerb1. To look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail: "he scrutinized his likeness in the mirror.". 2. Of accounts and tax returns; with the intent to verify. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "scrutinize" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1657. (references) |
Synonyms: ScrutinizeSynonyms: audit (v), inspect (v), scrutinise (v), size up (v), take stock (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Attention | Examine, examine closely, examine intently; scan, scrutinize, consider; give one's mind to, bend one's mind to; overhaul, revise, pore over; inspect, review, pass under review; take stock of; fix the eye on, rivet attention on, fix attention on, devote the eye to, fix the mind on, devote the thoughts to; hear out, think out; mind one's business. |
Inquiry | Examine, study, consider, calculate; dip into, dive into, delve into, go deep into; make sure of, probe, sound, fathom; probe to the bottom, probe to the quick; scrutinize, analyze, anatomize, dissect, parse, resolve, sift, winnow; view in all its phases, try in all its phases; thresh out. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Scrutinize |
| English words defined with "scrutinize": Scrutinized, Scrutinizing ♦ To search out. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "scrutinize": Neutral Body ♦ story. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "scrutinize": Scrutiny. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | In California's Salinas Valley, where much of America's lettuce is produced, ARS researcher Edward Ryder and colleague William Waycott, scrutinize an exceptional array of unique lettuces. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Patrick Tregenza.. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Eating out can be a challenge as the person with celiac disease learns to scrutinize the menu for foods with gluten and question the waiter or chef about possible hidden sources of gluten. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Kenya | According to Muslim leaders, government authorities scrutinize more rigorously the identification cards of persons with Muslim surnames and require them to present additional documentation of their citizenship (i.e., birth certificates of parents and, sometimes, grandparents). (references) |
Economic History | Guatemala | U.S. exporters should scrutinize the request closely. (references) |
Ghana | In August 1960, Nkrumah was given authority to scrutinize newspapers and other publications before publication. (references) | |
Political Economy | Kuwait | Parliamentary committees often scrutinize government actions. (references) |
INDIA | The federal government has also begun to scrutinize the cost of its subsidies more carefully, especially in the power sector. (references) | |
Trade | Vietnam | The lessor must therefore carefully scrutinize potential clients. (references) |
Worker Rights | Hong Kong | To combat fraudulent marriages that can be used to disguise trafficking in persons, immigration officials closely scrutinize applications for the entry of foreigners to take up residence with local spouses. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | STORY, n. A narrative, commonly untrue. The truth of the stories here following has, however, not been successfully impeached. One evening Mr. Rudolph Block, of New York, found himself seated at dinner alongside Mr. Percival Pollard, the distinguished critic. "Mr. Pollard," said he, "my book, The Biography of a Dead Cow, is published anonymously, but you can hardly be ignorant of its authorship. Yet in reviewing it you speak of it as the work of the Idiot of the Century. Do you think that fair criticism?" "I am very sorry, sir," replied the critic, amiably, "but it did not occur to me that you really might not wish the public to know who wrote it." Mr. W.C. Morrow, who used to live in San Jose, California, was addicted to writing ghost stories which made the reader feel as if a stream of lizards, fresh from the ice, were streaking it up his back and hiding in his hair. San Jose was at that time believed to be haunted by the visible spirit of a noted bandit named Vasquez, who had been hanged there. The town was not very well lighted, and it is putting it mildly to say that San Jose was reluctant to be out o' nights. One particularly dark night two gentlemen were abroad in the loneliest spot within the city limits, talking loudly to keep up their courage, when they came upon Mr. J.J. Owen, a well-known journalist. "Why, Owen," said one, "what brings you here on such a night as this? You told me that this is one of Vasquez' favorite haunts! And you are a believer. Aren't you afraid to be out?" "My dear fellow," the journalist replied with a drear autumnal cadence in his speech, like the moan of a leaf-laden wind, "I am afraid to be in. I have one of Will Morrow's stories in my pocket and I don't dare to go where there is light enough to read it." Rear-Admiral Schley and Representative Charles F. Joy were standing near the Peace Monument, in Washington, discussing the question, Is success a failure? Mr. Joy suddenly broke off in the middle of an eloquent sentence, exclaiming: "Hello! I've heard that band before. Santlemann's, I think." "I don't hear any band," said Schley. "Come to think, I don't either," said Joy; "but I see General Miles coming down the avenue, and that pageant always affects me in the same way as a brass band. One has to scrutinize one's impressions pretty closely, or one will mistake their origin." While the Admiral was digesting this hasty meal of philosophy General Miles passed in review, a spectacle of impressive dignity. When the tail of the seeming procession had passed and the two observers had recovered from the transient blindness caused by its effulgence -- "He seems to be enjoying himself," said the Admiral. "There is nothing," assented Joy, thoughtfully, "that he enjoys one-half so well." The illustrious statesman, Champ Clark, once lived about a mile from the village of Jebigue, in Missouri. One day he rode into town on a favorite mule, and, hitching the beast on the sunny side of a street, in front of a saloon, he went inside in his character of teetotaler, to apprise the barkeeper that wine is a mocker. It was a dreadfully hot day. Pretty soon a neighbor came in and seeing Clark, said: "Champ, it is not right to leave that mule out there in the sun. He'll roast, sure! -- he was smoking as I passed him." "O, he's all right," said Clark, lightly; "he's an inveterate smoker." The neighbor took a lemonade, but shook his head and repeated that it was not right. He was a conspirator. There had been a fire the night before: a stable just around the corner had burned and a number of horses had put on their immortality, among them a young colt, which was roasted to a rich nut-brown. Some of the boys had turned Mr. Clark's mule loose and substituted the mortal part of the colt. Presently another man entered the saloon. "For mercy's sake!" he said, taking it with sugar, "do remove that mule, barkeeper: it smells." "Yes," interposed Clark, "that animal has the best nose in Missouri. But if he doesn't mind, you shouldn't." In the course of human events Mr. Clark went out, and there, apparently, lay the incinerated and shrunken remains of his charger. The boys idd not have any fun out of Mr. Clarke, who looked at the body and, with the non-committal expression to which he owes so much of his political preferment, went away. But walking home late that night he saw his mule standing silent and solemn by the wayside in the misty moonlight. Mentioning the name of Helen Blazes with uncommon emphasis, Mr. Clark took the back track as hard as ever he could hook it, and passed the night in town. General H.H. Wotherspoon, president of the Army War College, has a pet rib-nosed baboon, an animal of uncommon intelligence but imperfectly beautiful. Returning to his apartment one evening, the General was surprised and pained to find Adam (for so the creature is named, the general being a Darwinian) sitting up for him and wearing his master's best uniform coat, epaulettes and all. "You confounded remote ancestor!" thundered the great strategist, "what do you mean by being out of bed after naps? -- and with my coat on!" Adam rose and with a reproachful look got down on all fours in the manner of his kind and, scuffling across the room to a table, returned with a visiting-card: General Barry had called and, judging by an empty champagne bottle and several cigar-stumps, had been hospitably entertained while waiting. The general apologized to his faithful progenitor and retired. The next day he met General Barry, who said: "Spoon, old man, when leaving you last evening I forgot to ask you about those excellent cigars. Where did you get them?" General Wotherspoon did not deign to reply, but walked away. "Pardon me, please," said Barry, moving after him; "I was joking of course. Why, I knew it was not you before I had been in the room fifteen minutes." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | Hence when there are extravagant and wasteful appropriations there must be a corresponding increase of taxes, and the people, becoming awakened, will necessarily scrutinize the character of measures which thus increase their burdens. |
Woodrow Wilson | 1913-1921 | With the great Government went many deep secret things which we too long delayed to look into and scrutinize with candid, fearless eyes. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We must begin to scrutinize the overall effect of regulation in our economy. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Scrutinize" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 73.47% of the time. "Scrutinize" is used about 49 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 73.47% | 36 | 57,479 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 26.53% | 13 | 97,576 |
| Total | 100.00% | 49 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expression using "scrutinize": scrutinize smb.. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
scrutinize | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "scrutinize"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | shqyrtoj (analyse, analyze, assay, bolt, call, canvass, case, check, check over, debate, discuss, explore, inspect, investigate, look into, look over, look through, moot, peruse, process, see, see into, study, talk over, think out, traverse, vet, view), vëzhgoj (monitor, observe, oversee, watch), këqyr me kujdes. (various references) | |
Arabic | فحص (assay, calibrate, check, check up, checking, control, examination, examine, exploration, explore, inquire about, inquire into, inspect, inspection, investigate, investigation, look into, overhaul, probe, quiz, search, search for, search into, searching, see, sound, survey, test, vet, view), معن النظر, نقب (burrow, burrowing, comb, delve, drilling, excavation, fish, mine, piercing, pry, quest, rake, ransack, root, rout out, rummage, scour, scrabble about, sleuth), تدارس (consider, examine, investigate), أعد الأصوات, دقق (be precise, be strict, mope, particularize, vet), بحث (brochure, cast about, consideration, discuss, discussion, disquisition, drilling for, examine, exploration, explore, fumble, hunt for, inquest, inquire, inquisition, investigate, investigation, look, look for, looking for, poke about, probe, prospection, pry, pursue, quest, research, retrieve, rummage, scrounge, search, see, see into, seek, seeking, sought, spy, study, talk over, think through, treatise, try, ventilate). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | разглеждам критично (take stock), разглеждам внимателно (inspect, peruse), разглеждам подробно, изследвам внимателно, изследвам подробно. (various references) | |
Chinese | 详细检查 (canvassed, Canvassing, scrutinise, Scrutinized, Scrutinizing). (various references) | |
Czech | prozkoumat (analyse, examine, explore, go into, go through, inspect, look into, overlook, probe, reconnoitre, scan, survey), překontrolovat (check smth. out, go over, go through, test, vet). (various references) | |
Danish | tid,det tager at forberede sagen (time taken to scrutinize the case). (various references) | |
Dutch | duur van de behandeling van de stukken (time taken to scrutinize the case). (various references) | |
Farsi | موردمداقه قراردادن , موشکافی کردن (Analyze). (various references) | |
French | scruter (scan), pointer, examiner minutieusement. (various references) | |
German | studieren (be a student, be at college, be at school, be at university, go to college, go to the university, read, study, to study), untersuchen (analyse, analyze, check, enquire into, examine, explore, go over, inquire into, investigate, look into, pick over, pick through, probe, research, scan, see into, sound out, study, survey, test, to analyse, to analyzeUS, to determine, to examine, to explore, to inspect, verify), prüfend ansehen, prüfen (afflict, assay, attempt, audit, canvass, check, consider, examine, Gage, gauge, inspect, look at, look into, peruse, prove, proved, question, quiz, review, see into, study, test, to canvass, to examine, to peruse, to review, to test, to try, try, try out, validate, verify, verifying), mustern (eye up, give one's medical, inspect, look over, quiz, review, survey, to examine, to pattern), genau untersuchen, genau prüfen (scruttinize), eingehend prüfen, überprüfen (check, check out, check over, examine, inspect, investigate, look over, overhaul, re-examine, review, revise, screen, to review, to revise, to screen, verify, verifying). (various references) | |
Greek | εξετάζω λεπτομερώσ (go through, overhaul, sift), εξονυχίζω (scan), διερευνώ (explore, investigate, look into, probe, prospect, ransack, spy). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לפשפש (examine, search), לחקור (delve, explore, inquire into, probe, quest, search), ל"ק"ק (be precise, be strict, particular), לב"וק בקפ" ות (search), ל פות (comb, riddle, sieve, sift, winnow). (various references) | |
Hungarian | megvizsgál (examine, go over, inspect, investigate, look at, look into, look over, to analyse, to analyze, to assay, to explore, to inspect, to look into, to probe, to scan, to search, to see into, to sift, to test, to vet). (various references) | |
Indonesian | menyimak (observe attentively). (various references) | |
Italian | scrutinare (count, scrutinise), assaggiare (assay, check, sample, taste, try). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | じろじろ見る (cool sensation from passing air, gradually, smoothly, sound of air leaking, to look hard at, to look up and down, to make refreshed, to make relieved, to scrutinize, to stare at, unhindered). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | じろじろみる (to look hard at, to look up and down, to scrutinize, to stare at). (various references) | |
Korean | 자세히 조사하십시" (scrutinise). (various references) | |
Manx | ronsaghey (beat for game, consult; consultation, debate, examine, explore, forage, frisk, investigate, look into, ransack, rifle, rummage, scrutinizing, search, searching), mynscrutaghey (analyse, analysis, dissect, dissection, narrow examination, perusal, peruse, scan, scansion, screen). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | utinizescray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | investigar (burrow, delve, dub, enquire, examine, explore, inquire, investigate, look for, look into, placatory, place, query, rake, rake up, research, rummage, search into, seek, sit on, spy, study, to investigate), examinar minuciosamente (sift), escrutinar (canvass), escrutar. (various references) | |
Romanian | scruta (observe, reconnoitre, scan), scormoni (dig up, fan, ferret, Grout, poke up, rake, ransack, rout, rummage, scan, search, stir up), verifica scrutinul, examina (canvass, comb, consider, contemplate, debate, examine, explore, go over, inspect, investigate, look at, look over, observe, overhaul, overlook, peer, pry into, quiz, review, scout, search, study, talk over, verify, view, visit, weigh), cerceta amãnunţit (comb out), cerceta (analyse, analyze, anatomize, ask, canvass, case, consider, consult, cross-question, delve, dip into, examine, excogiate, explore, inspect, introspect, investigate, look at, look into, look over, look through, overlook, peer, pursue, question, reconnoitre, research, screen, search, search into, seek, sift, sound, study, survey, test, try, visit). (various references) | |
Russian | рассматривать (account, consider, debate, descry, envisage, espy, examine, eye, give consideration to, judge, look on, look upon, regard, review, see into, study, view, viewed). (various references) | |
Scottish | sgrùd (examine, investigate), rannsaich (examine minutely, search). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | proučavati (study), kritički razmatrati. (various references) | |
Spanish | hacer el recuento, escudriñar (examine, go over, inquire into, investigate, look at, ransack, scan, study), escrutar. (various references) | |
Swedish | granska (audit, check, correct, examine, eye, go through, inspect, overlook, peruse, review, scan, screen, sift, vet, view). (various references) | |
Turkish | iyice incelemek (get to the bottom of, search into), ince eleyip sık dokumak (be too fussy, be too particular, fuss, go over, go over smth. with a fine comb, go through, niggle, pick holes in, pick over, refine, sift, split, split hairs), dikkatle incelemek (anatomize, traverse). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | уважно досліджувати, ретельно перевіряти документи. (various references) | |
Welsh | craffu (look closely, observe intently). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | inquiram, inquirat, inquiratur, inquire, inquirebant, inquirendo, inquirent, inquirentes, inquirentibus, inquirere, inquiretis, inquiri, inquirit, inquirite, inquirunt, inquisisset, inquisituri, scrutinabit, scrutinando, scrutinare, scrutinat. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "scrutinize": scrutinized, scrutinizer, scrutinizers, scrutinizes. (additional references) | |
| |
"Scrutinize" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: crutinize, scruitinizer, scrunitize, scruntinize, scrutenize, scrutinice, scrutinise, scrutinixe, scrutinze, scrutitize, scutinize, surutinize. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "scrutinize" (pronounced skruw"tunī'z) |
| 4 | -u n ī' z | agonize, aluminize, antagonize, balkanize, carbonize, colonize, communize, demonize, disorganize, euthanize, galvanize, harmonize, hellenize, homogenize, humanize, ionize, lionize, mechanize, organize, patronize, reorganize, revolutionize, suburbanize, synchronize, unionize, urbanize, womanize. |
| 3 | -n ī' z | fraternize, immunize, ironize, modernize, recognize, westernize. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-i-i-n-r-s-t-u-z" | |
-1 letter: cutinizes, neuritics, unitizers. | |
-2 letters: citizens, citrines, crinites, cutinise, cutinize, incisure, inciters, neuritic, neuritis, sciurine, unitizer, unitizes, zincites. | |
-3 letters: cistern, citizen, citrine, citrins, cretins, crinite, cuisine, curites, encrust, eristic, icterus, inciter, incites, incrust, irenics, neritic, nutsier, ricinus, sericin, triunes, uniters, unities, unitize, zincite. | |
-4 letters: citers, cities, citrin, citrus, cretin, cruets, cruise, cruset, curets, curies, curite. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-i-i-n-r-s-t-u-z" | |
+1 letter: scrutinized, scrutinizer, scrutinizes. | |
+2 letters: scrutinizers, securitizing. | |
+4 letters: cauterizations, secularization, securitization. | |
+5 letters: secularizations, securitizations, subcategorizing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Photo Album 6. Quotations: Non-fiction 7. Quotations: Speeches 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Translations: Ancient | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
