thoroughgoing

adjective

thor·​ough·​go·​ing ˌthər-ə-ˈgō-iŋ How to pronounce thoroughgoing (audio)
ˌthə-rə-,
-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ
: marked by thoroughness or zeal : thorough, complete
thoroughgoing changes
a thoroughgoing traditionalist
thoroughgoingly adverb

Examples of thoroughgoing in a Sentence

civil rights advocates are hoping for a thoroughgoing rejection of the proposed bill a thoroughgoing attempt to solve the puzzle and still no luck
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cox shows Wilson to have been a thoroughgoing racist who resegregated the federal government and brought views of the Confederacy learned in his southern childhood to the White House. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 Sohn-Rethel was the most thoroughgoing Marxist of the bunch. Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024 Deftly translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer, this début novel offers a thoroughgoing inventory of French complicity with the crimes of Nazi occupiers during the Second World War. Leslie Camhi, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024 To this day, Channel One’s thoroughgoing bias (and the viewing public’s motivations for watching) has remained unchanged. Ellen Mickiewicz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2014 See All Example Sentences for thoroughgoing

Word History

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thoroughgoing was in 1719

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thoroughgoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thoroughgoing. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

thoroughgoing

adjective
thor·​ough·​go·​ing ˌthər-ə-ˈgō-iŋ How to pronounce thoroughgoing (audio)
ˌthə-rə-
: thorough sense 1, complete
thoroughgoing cooperation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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