Standard Lemma guide

thoroughgoing

adj · 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈθʌɹəˌɡəʊɪŋ/
  • General-American: /ˈθʌɹəˌɡoʊɪŋ/
  • General-American: /-ɹoʊ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

With great attention to detail; complete, thorough.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He did a thoroughgoing job of cleaning up the broken glass.
  • 1967, Time, "Marijuana is Still Illegal," 29 December, 1967, https://web.archive.org/web/20130721101358/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,844332,00.html After six months of preparation, Lawyer Joseph Oteri began in September the most thoroughgoing legal attack on antimarijuana laws ever made.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abject, frightful, absolute, arrant, categoric, categorical, complete, consummate, decided, downright, full, full-blown, full-bore, full-on, mere, outright, out-and-out, perfect, precious, proper, pure, stark, rank, regular, right, root and branch, sheer, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unattenuated, uncompromising, unconditional, unfettered, unmitigated, unqualified, unreserved, unrestricted, utter, wholesale

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

performed comprehensively and completely

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an exhaustive study
  • made a thorough search
  • thoroughgoing research

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: exhaustive, thorough

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From thorough + going (adjective).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: реши́телен (rešítelen) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Chinese Mandarin: 徹底 /彻底 (chèdǐ) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Chinese Mandarin: 澈底 (chèdǐ) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Chinese Mandarin: 彻底 (chèdǐ) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Chinese Mandarin: 徹頭徹尾 /彻头彻尾 (chètóuchèwěi) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Chinese Mandarin: 築底 /筑底 (zhùdǐ, zhúdǐ) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Dutch: ingrijpend — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • French: à tous crins — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Georgian: უკომპრომისო (uḳomṗromiso) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • German: gründlich — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Hungarian: radikális — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Korean: 철저하다 (cheoljeohada) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Polish: szczegółowy — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Polish: dokładny — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Polish: gruntowny — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Russian: доскона́льный (doskonálʹnyj) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Russian: скрупулёзный (skrupuljóznyj) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Russian: тща́тельный (tščátelʹnyj) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Serbo-Croatian: skrupulozno — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Serbo-Croatian: temeljito — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Spanish: pormenorizado — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Thai: ครบ (króp) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough
  • Thai: สําเร็จ (sǎm-rèt) — with great attention to detail — see also complete, thorough