as in careful
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble
heedful of snakes, we watched our footing while walking through the tall grass to the lake's edge
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Recent Examples of heedful
In ancient times a heedful list is a ship of the mind.
—
Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
Her heedful eyes meet those of a young Black girl in overalls and braids on the other side of the room.
—Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023
That’s partly because retailers have grown less heedful about developing the necessary pipelines, a problem that’s worsened in recent years as retailers saw profits crushed by a push into low-margin e-commerce.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2023
As with recent demands to defund the police or abolish ICE amid our domestic upheavals, such calls should be heard not as literal policy prescriptions but as cries from the heart that demand heedful response.
—Suzanne Nossel, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
Zhi-shay’ was horrified by his brother’s treatment, but also heedful of the powerful pack rules in which such cruelty is embedded.
—Pamela Miller, Star Tribune, 7 Aug. 2020
McMillan initially promised to train fissile material handlers to be more heedful of plutonium-handling perils, for example, and to bring the inventory and safety documents guiding their work up to date.
—R. Jeffrey Smith, Science | AAAS, 30 June 2017
Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2024
Her heedful eyes meet those of a young Black girl in overalls and braids on the other side of the room.
—Hazlitt, 9 Aug. 2023
That’s partly because retailers have grown less heedful about developing the necessary pipelines, a problem that’s worsened in recent years as retailers saw profits crushed by a push into low-margin e-commerce.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2023
As with recent demands to defund the police or abolish ICE amid our domestic upheavals, such calls should be heard not as literal policy prescriptions but as cries from the heart that demand heedful response.
—Suzanne Nossel, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
Zhi-shay’ was horrified by his brother’s treatment, but also heedful of the powerful pack rules in which such cruelty is embedded.
—Pamela Miller, Star Tribune, 7 Aug. 2020
McMillan initially promised to train fissile material handlers to be more heedful of plutonium-handling perils, for example, and to bring the inventory and safety documents guiding their work up to date.
—R. Jeffrey Smith, Science | AAAS, 30 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heedful
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
As with any sauce, be careful not to over-reduce.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Be cautious about taking on new debt that assumes your current income is guaranteed.—
Matt Shumer,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Connecticut education leaders are expressing cautious optimism as the state Department of Education tries its hand at course development.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Flick was wary of the youngster experiencing a setback, given recent cases involving other young players and preferred to bring him back gradually.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
While the singer recently said viewers do not need to learn Spanish to enjoy the show and only need to dance, some viewers are still wary of tuning in.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That is why staying alert after breach reports matters.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Without it, even the tiredest body stays alert.—
Reem Raouda,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heedful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heedful. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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