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 (AU)

  (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

     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) (kʿnnel), մանրամասն ուսումնասիրել (manramasn usumnasirel)
• Catalan: escrutar (ca)
• Czech: prohlédnout (cs)
• Danish: granske
• Esperanto: trarigardi
• Finnish: tarkastaa (fi), tutkia tarkasti, tutkia tarkoin, tarkastella (fi)
• French: scruter (fr)
• Galician: escrutar, escudriñar (gl)
• German: gründlich prüfen, hinterfragen (de), gewissenhaft überprüfen, ergründen (de), zerlegen (de), zerpflücken (de)
• Greek: περιεργάζομαι (el) (periergázomai)
• Hungarian: tüzetesen megvizsgál
• Italian: esaminare (it), indagare (it)
• Japanese: 眇める (sugameru)

• Latin: scrūtor
• Malay: meneliti, menyelidiki
• Maori: whakatātare, whakatare, whakataretare, matawai
• Norwegian: granske (no)
• Occitan: escrutinhar (oc)
• Old English: sceawian
• Portuguese: escrutinizar
• Russian: тща́тельно проверя́ть (tščátelʹno proverjátʹ), тща́тельно иссле́довать (tščátelʹno isslédovatʹ)
• Spanish: escrutar (es), examinar (es), escudriñar (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