Thorough — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Thorough (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. having no exceptions or restrictions

   "had thorough access to the files for her research"

   similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
   related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
   near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

2. including many small descriptive features

   "thorough analysis of the current crisis in Asia"

   similar: blow-by-blow, circumstantial, detailed, elaborate, full, minute, particular, particularized
   related: enumerated, inventoried, itemized, listed, numerated, delineated, specific, specified, abundant, copious, comprehensive, encyclopedic, exhausting, exhaustive, inclusionary, inclusive, in-depth, omnibus, panoramic, thoroughgoing, accurate, correct, exact, precise, complete, entire, replete, distinct, explicit, sharp, mapped (out), descriptive, graphic, picturesque, vivid
   opposite: compendious, summary
   near: brief, compact, concise, crisp, pithy, short, succinct, terse, abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut, pruned, shortened, trimmed, ambiguous, indeterminate, nebulous, nondescript, sketchy, vague, bird's-eye, broad, general, nonspecific, overall, unspecified

3. trying all possibilities

   "a thorough search of the office that turned up no evidence of wrongdoing"

   similar: all-out, clean, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, full-scale, out-and-out, thoroughgoing, total
   related: broad, extensive, far-reaching, in-depth, sweeping, wide, wide-ranging, general, global, inclusive, methodical, systematic, no-holds-barred, unhampered, unrestrained
   near: aimless, desultory, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random, cursory, shallow, slipshod, superficial, limited, narrow, restricted

4. covering everything or all important points

   "a very thorough textbook on respiratory disorders"

   similar: all-embracing, all-in (chiefly British), all-inclusive, broad-gauge, compendious, complete, comprehensive, cover-all, cyclopedic, embracive, encyclopedic, exhaustive, full, global, in-depth, inclusive, omnibus, panoramic, universal
   related: broad, catholic, encyclical, general, inclusionary, overall, cosmic, extensive, far, far-reaching, grand, large, panoptic, sweeping, vast, wide, wide-ranging, blanket, indiscriminate, unrestricted
   near: circumscribed, limited, narrow, restricted, specialized, exact, precise, individual, singular, specific, incomplete, patchy, sketchy