scrutiny
noun
scru·ti·ny
ˈskrü-tə-nē 
ˈskrüt-nē
plural scrutinies
1
: a searching study, inquiry, or inspection : examination
2
: a searching look
3
: close watch : surveillance
Examples of scrutiny in a Sentence
the close scrutiny of data
I'd never faced that kind of scrutiny before.
Because of their past crimes, everything they do now will be subject to scrutiny.
Her opinion is based on a careful scrutiny of the text.
Recent Examples on the Web
The company has long marketed this approach as more objective than traditional resume screening, and, in its own prior analysis, found no disparities that rose to the level of legal scrutiny.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 May 2026
The Justice Department has also recently widened its civil rights scrutiny of the state’s medical schools beyond UCLA.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
That starts with vendor scrutiny.
—Daniel Schwartz, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrutiny
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.
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 May 2026
The Justice Department has also recently widened its civil rights scrutiny of the state’s medical schools beyond UCLA.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
That starts with vendor scrutiny.
—Daniel Schwartz, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrutiny
Cite this Entry
“Scrutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrutiny. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scrutiny
noun
scru·ti·ny
ˈskrüt-ᵊn-ē
ˈskrüt-nē
plural scrutinies
: a close inspection : examination
Legal Definition
scrutiny
noun
scru·ti·ny
ˈskrüt-ᵊn-ē
plural scrutinies
: searching study or inquiry
specifically
: judicial investigation of the constitutionality of a statutory classification of persons under the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution see also intermediate sense 2, strict scrutiny compare rational basis test
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
