thorough

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈθʌrə/ or /ˈθʌroʊ/
• American: THUR-oh

Origin

From Middle English thorow, from Old English þurh, meaning "through, complete"

Meanings

1. Complete or absolute in all aspects; comprehensive

   • The police conducted a thorough investigation of the crime scene.
   • She did a thorough job cleaning the house before the guests arrived.

2. Extremely attentive to detail; careful and meticulous

   • The doctor gave the patient a thorough examination.
   • He is known for being thorough in his research work.

Related Words

• Forms: thoroughly (adv), thoroughness (n)
• Synonyms: comprehensive, complete, exhaustive, detailed, meticulous, in-depth, rigorous, careful

Usage Tips

• Often paired with words like "inspection," "review," "cleaning," "examination"
• Commonly used in professional contexts to describe detailed work or analysis

Memory Tricks

1. Think "THROUGH and ROUGH" - when combined, they sound like "thorough" and suggest going through something completely, even the rough parts
2. Remember the phrase "Thorough thinkers think things through" - emphasizing the complete nature of the word
3. Visualize a detective with a magnifying glass examining every detail - being thorough means not missing anything

Common Collocations

• thorough investigation
• thorough understanding
• thorough preparation
• thorough analysis
• thorough review