Definition
To scrutinize is to look hard — to inspect something minutely, searching for flaws, errors, or hidden details. Auditors scrutinize accounts; referees scrutinize replays; voters scrutinize candidates' records. The word implies both closeness and skepticism: you don't scrutinize things you trust completely. Its ancestor, the Latin scrutari, meant to rummage through rubbish — the original scrutineers searched even the trash.
Examples
- Auditors spent weeks scrutinizing the company's accounts for irregularities.
- Every clause of the contract was scrutinized by both legal teams before signing.
- Public figures must accept that their past statements will be scrutinized.
Synonyms
examine · inspect · analyze · probe · study
In TOEFL & IELTS
Appears across TOEFL/IELTS reading in contexts of oversight and review — scientific findings, government spending, historical documents all get 'scrutinized'. The noun 'scrutiny' may be even more common: 'under (close) scrutiny' and 'subject to scrutiny' are set phrases worth learning. British spelling is the same; IELTS may also use 'scrutinise'.