Standard Lemma guide

thorough-

prefix · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prefix

Meaning 1

through, passing via

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, morpheme

Examples

  • thoroughfare, thoroughgo, thoroughlane

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prefix

Meaning 2

fully, completely; purely

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, morpheme

Examples

  • thoroughgoingly, thoroughbreed, thoroughpaced

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

A variant of through-, common in 16th-19th centuries, particularly where there is a perceived connection with thorough “thorough-”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000..