Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

scrutinize

verbHigh-frequency wordMore S words

to examine closely and critically

Word origin: From Latin scrutari, to search or examine.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Scrutinize in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing scrutinize in a sentence.

Editors scrutinized the manuscript for inconsistencies.

Investigators scrutinized the ledgers line by line, searching for the discrepancy that would explain the shortfall.

Synonyms
inspectexamineprobe
Antonyms
overlookskim

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Text Completion

The historian argued that the empire's collapse was not blank but the predictable outcome of decades of fiscal mismanagement that contemporaries had simply refused to acknowledge.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “scrutinize” well

Scrutinize means to examine closely and critically, with an eye for flaws or hidden detail. It is more intensive than to look at or to review.

Common questions

Questions about “scrutinize”

Scrutinize (verb) means to examine closely and critically
Here is scrutinize used in an example sentence: "Editors scrutinized the manuscript for inconsistencies." Another example: "Investigators scrutinized the ledgers line by line, searching for the discrepancy that would explain the shortfall."
Common synonyms for scrutinize include inspect, examine, probe.
Antonyms of scrutinize include overlook, skim.
Clusters with inspect, examine, and probe in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms overlook and skim mark the opposite, cursory treatment.
Yes. Scrutinize is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.