careful, a.
(ˈkɛəfʊl)
Forms: 1 carfull, cearful, 3, 5 karefull, 4–5 carful, 6 Sc. cairfull, 3– careful.
[OE. carful, cearful, f. caru care + -ful.]
† 1. Full of grief; mournful, sorrowful; also (of cries, etc.), expressing sorrow. Obs.
| a 1000 Soul's Address 15 Cleopaþ þonne swa cearful..se gæst to ðam duste. c 1205 Lay. 16761 Duden of claðes karefulle cnihtes. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 441 Þey crieden alle o cry a carefull note. 1470–85 Malory Arthur (1816) I. 161 A careful widow wringing her hands and making great sorrow. c 1505 Dunbar Tua mariit Wem. 418 My clokis thai ar caerfull in colour of sabill. 1592 Daniel Compl. Rosamond, Her Tears upon her Cheeks (poor careful Girl!). 1599 Parismus ii. (1661) 26 To..ease her careful heart. |
2. Full of care, trouble, anxiety, or concern; anxious, troubled, solicitous, concerned. arch.
| a 1000 Guthlac 549 (Gr.) Cwædon cearfulle Criste laðe to Guðlace. a 1300 Cursor M. 23116 Þaa care-ful eth sal be to kene. c 1400 Rowland & Ot. 1066 He crakkede full many a carefull croun. 1535 Coverdale Tobias v. 12 That I make the not carefull, I am Azarias. 1582 N. T. (Rhem.) Matt. vi. 34 Be not careful therefore for the morrovv. 1606 Marston Fawne iii. Wks. (1856) 63 Necessarie as sleepe To carefull man. 1714 Steele Arriv. Ulysses, The King arose, and beat his careful Breast. 1814 Byron Lara i. xx, It is a sight the careful brow might smooth. |
3. Full of care or concern for, attentive to the interests of, taking good care of.
| a 1000 Lambeth Ps. xxxix. 18 (Bosw.) Drihten carful oððe ymhydiᵹ is mines. 1535 Coverdale 2 Macc. xv. 19 They that were in the cite, were most carefull for those which were to fight. 1553 Bale Vocacyon in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) I. 357 A woman..which was to me a carefull creature. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 79 My wife more carefull for the latter-borne. 1594 ― Rich. III, ii. ii. 96 Bethinke you like a carefull Mother Of the young Prince your sonne. 1732 Pope Ep. Bathurst 13 Then careful Heav'n supply'd two sorts of men. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc viii. 47 She..stretch'd forth her careful hands To ease the burthen. 1850 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. vi. 38 Be careful of the horses, Sam..don't ride them too fast. |
4. Applying care, solicitous attention, or pains to what one has to do; heedful, painstaking, attentive to one's work; circumspect, watchful, cautious.
| c 1050 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 172 Curiosus, carful. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. xxii. 129 That they should be the earnester and carefuller in teaching their children. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iv. iii. 21 Goe get you gone, and pray be carefull all, And leaue you not a man of warre vnsearcht. 1640 Bp. Hall Episc. i. vii. 29 The carefullest Ambassador may perhaps swerve from his message. 1845 Graves in Encycl. Metrop. (1847) II. 752/1 Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a careful and learned antiquary. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §22. 155, I felt just sufficient fear to render me careful. 1878 Morley Crit. Misc. 192 None the less careful, minute, patient, systematic, in examining a policy. |
b. Const. to do a thing, that a thing be done, or with relative clause.
| 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 144 The master would be more carefull what he did teach. 1622 Sparrow Bk. Com. Prayer (1661) 40 Careful to maintain the ancient usage. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 48 Be very careful that the Spindle stand exactly Perpendicular. 1771 Junius Lett. xlviii. 252 He was careful not to assume any of those powers. 1820 Hoyle's Games Impr. 431 Be careful that they are neither thrown about nor changed. 1836 Macgillivray tr. Humboldt's Trav. 290 Both males and females are careful to ornament their persons with paint. |
† 5. Applying care to avoid; on one's guard against, cautious, wary. Obs.
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 446 Not disdainefull to conferre, but careful to offende. 1666 Spurstowe Spir. Chym. (1668) 217 Be more careful of doing anything to lose your Peace. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 118 ¶2 Orestilla is..particularly careful of new Acquaintance. 1728 R. Morris Anc. Archit. 91 Ever careful of acting so indiscreetly. |
† 6. Causing trouble or fear, dreadful. Obs.
| c 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 158 Careful cocodrillus..þe king lette. c 1505 Dunbar Gold. Targe 243 So carefull was the crak. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 5747 Herode..With mony vther cairfull Kyng. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Dec. 133 The carefull cold hath nypt my rugged rynde. |
7. a. Of things: Fraught or attended with sorrow, trouble, or anxiety. Obs. or arch.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 171 On þe careful dai þan he cumeð al middeneard to demen. a 1300 Cursor M. 3632 Ar þat he deied in car-ful bedd. 1413 Lydg. Pylgr. Sowle ii. xliv. (1859) 50 Alas! the careful tyme that euer we were conceyued. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 633 He casteth him..into a careful and miserable exile. 1634 Ford Perkin Warb. iii. ii, Paths which lead..to a careful throne. 1814 Southey Roderick xv, He upon his careful couch. |
b. Showing care, done or performed with care.
| 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxii. 198 By wise..interpretation, and carefull ratiocination. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) III. 245 After a careful survey of this place. 1797 T. Bewick Brit. Birds (1847) I. 59 A careful examination of the specimin. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 617 Careful watch was kept all night. 1883 Lloyd Ebb & Fl. I. 32 His drawing was careful. |