scrutinize

English

WOTD – 24 August 2009

Alternative forms

• scrutinise (Commonwealth)

Etymology

From scrutiny +‎ -ize.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskɹuːtɨnaɪz/
• (General American) enPR: skro͞otʹn-īz, IPA^(key): /ˈskɹutn̩ˌaɪz/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: scru‧ti‧nize

Verb

scrutinize (third-person singular simple present scrutinizes, present participle scrutinizing, simple past and past participle scrutinized)

1. (transitive) To examine something with great care or detail, as to look for hidden or obscure flaws.

   to scrutinize the conduct or motives of individuals

   • 1726, John Ayliffe, Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani: Or, A Commentary, by Way of Supplement to the Canons and Constitutions of the Church of England. […], London: […] D. Leach, and sold by John Walthoe […], →OCLC:

     whose votes they were obliged to scrutinize

   • 1879, George Washington Cable, Old Creole Days:

     Those pronounced him youngest who scrutinized his face the closest.

2. (transitive) To audit accounts etc in order to verify them.

Related terms

• inscrutable
• scrutineer
• scrutiny

Translations

to examine with great care

• Armenian: զննել (hy) (znnel), քննել (hy) (kʻnnel), մանրամասն ուսումնասիրել (manramasn usumnasirel)
• Bulgarian: изследвам подробно (izsledvam podrobno)
• Catalan: escrutar (ca)
• Czech: prohlédnout (cs)
• Danish: granske
• Esperanto: trarigardi
• Finnish: tarkastaa (fi), tutkia tarkasti, tutkia tarkoin, tarkastella (fi)
• French: scruter (fr)
• Galician: escrutar (gl), escudriñar (gl)
• German: gründlich prüfen, hinterfragen (de), gewissenhaft überprüfen, ergründen (de), zerlegen (de), zerpflücken (de)
• Greek: περιεργάζομαι (el) (periergázomai), κοιτάω από πάνω μέχρι κάτω (koitáo apó páno méchri káto)
• Hungarian: tüzetesen megvizsgál
• Icelandic: gaumgæfa
• Italian: esaminare (it), indagare (it)
• Japanese: 精査する (せいさ-する, seisa-suru), 眇める (ja) (sugameru),
• Latin: scrūtor
• Malay: meneliti, menyelidiki
• Maori: whakatātare, whakatare, whakataretare, matawai
• Norwegian: granske (no)
• Occitan: escrutinhar (oc), escrutar (oc), escrutinar
• Old English: sceawian
• Portuguese: escrutinizar
• Russian: тща́тельно проверя́ть (tščátelʹno proverjátʹ), тща́тельно иссле́довать (tščátelʹno isslédovatʹ)
• Slovak: preveriť pf, preskúmať pf
• Spanish: escrutar (es), examinar (es), escudriñar (es), escrudiñar (es)
• Swedish: granska (sv), mönstra (sv), nagelfara (sv), skärskåda (sv), lusläsa, syna (sv)
• Tagalog: balukitkitin
• Telugu: పరిశీలించు (te) (pariśīliñcu)
• Turkish: irdelemek (tr), tetkik etmek (tr)

to audit accounts

• Finnish: tarkastaa (fi)
• French: dépouiller (fr)
• Maori: arotake pūtea
• Occitan: escrutinhar (oc)
• Tagalog: balukitkitin