formal
: the act of carefully examining something especially in a critical way : the act of scrutinizing something
the close/careful scrutiny of data
judicial/public/scientific scrutiny
I'd never faced that kind of scrutiny before.
Because of their past crimes, everything they do now will be subject to scrutiny.
Their behavior is under scrutiny again. = Their behavior has come under scrutiny again. [=people are examining their behavior in a critical way again]
Her opinion is based on a careful scrutiny of the text.
Cite this Entry
“Scrutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/scrutiny. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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