SCRUTINY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

scrutiny

noun

ˈskrü-tə-nē

Definition of scrutiny

as in inspection

a close look at or over someone or something in order to judge condition his performance on the football field is seemingly unaffected by the media's intense scrutiny of his tumultuous personal life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in gaze

a fixed intent look began to squirm under the penetrating scrutiny of the judge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scrutiny The former Republican leader in the Assembly did so despite failing to secure endorsements from county Republican groups and scrutiny of his campaign spending and personal life. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026 As Envita grew in its early years, the clinic repeatedly came under scrutiny. — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Williams and James entered the season under a lot of scrutiny given the impact their predecessors, Love and Jadarian Price, made last season on the Notre Dame offense. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026 Compared with social media companies, AI giants have been moving somewhat more quickly to add safeguards, motivated perhaps by the growing regulatory and societal scrutiny of social media’s effects on kids’ mental health. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrutiny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrutiny

Noun

Our teams generate enormous amounts of information through work orders, building systems, staffing, purchasing, inspections, utilities, customer requests, asset histories and budgets.

— Justin Wisor, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Monday’s routine inspection found 15 total violations, including five high priority ones.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of inspection

Noun

While the Blue Demon induces perceptual disorientation, the Rooster privileges visual attention and the architectural discipline of gaze.

— Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
Laura squirmed under her mother’s gaze, willed the light to turn green.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of gaze

Noun

The youth movement, which emerged earlier this year out of anger over high unemployment among young people and leaked examination papers, has grown into a political force.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Writer-director Reed Van Dyk’s feature debut navigates tricky emotional waters but emerges as a trenchant examination of what forgiveness and penitence can look like, allowing no room for anything resembling a pat happy ending.

— Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of examination

Noun

And at the same time, that image of Faye’s blue face, glazed-over eyes, and lifeless stare is going to follow me for a while.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
With all of his flexes and stares and shuffles, every plate appearance feels like an event.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of stare

Noun

Another manager was found to work from both Alabama and Tennessee without disclosing that information to the Controller’s Office, according to the audit report.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
The original audit revealed that the airport was paying more to contract law enforcement services than peer airports and recommended the county create its own police force.

— Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of audit

Noun

Diesel prices could remain elevated for a year, according to a new survey of oil and gas executives.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The household survey, which is used to calculate the jobless level, was considerably better than the establishment survey, which is used to derive the payrolls count.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of survey

Browse Nearby Words

scrutinizing

scrutiny

scud

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scrutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrutiny. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scrutiny

noun

Example Sentences

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