cautiously meaning

cautiously means 'in a careful way to avoid danger or mistakes'.

cautiously :

carefully, with caution

adverb

▪ She drove cautiously in the rain.

▪ She drove carefully in the rain.

▪ He cautiously opened the door.

▪ He carefully opened the door.

paraphrasing

▪ carefully – with care

▪ prudently – with good judgment

▪ warily – with caution

▪ gingerly – with great care

cautiously

Pronunciation

cautiously [ˈkɔː.ʃəs.li]

The stress is on 'cau' and sounds like 'kaw-shus-lee'.

Common phrases and grammar about cautiously

cautiously - Common meaning

adverb
carefully, with caution

Part of Speech Changes for "cautiously"

▪ caution (noun) – care taken to avoid danger

▪ cautious (adjective) – careful to avoid problems

Common Expressions with "cautiously"

▪ proceed cautiously – move forward carefully

▪ act cautiously – do something with care

▪ invest cautiously – put money in carefully

▪ speak cautiously – talk carefully

Important examples of cautiously in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, cautiously often means acting with care to avoid mistakes.

▪She proceeded cautiously with the plan.
▪She moved forward with the plan carefully.

Example of a confusing word: casually (in an informal or relaxed manner)

▪She proceeded casually with the plan.
▪She moved forward with the plan in an informal manner.
"Cautiously" means "with care" or "carefully," indicating that actions are taken to avoid risks or mistakes. In the sentence "She proceeded cautiously with the plan," the adverb "cautiously" correctly describes how she is moving forward with care. "Casually," on the other hand, means "in an informal or relaxed manner" and suggests a lack of seriousness or attention to detail. Using "casually" in this context implies a different attitude toward the plan, which does not fit the intended meaning of careful consideration. Therefore, "cautiously" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Cautiously is used to describe how an action is done, often appearing in grammar questions to modify verbs.

▪He cautiously checked the report.
▪He carefully looked at the report.

cautiously

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

proceed cautiously

'move forward with care', used in instructions or advice.

▪Please proceed cautiously through the construction area.
▪Please move carefully through the construction area.

err on the side of caution

means 'to be extra careful', used when advising to be more careful than needed.

▪It's better to err on the side of caution.
▪It's better to be extra careful.

Differences between similar words and cautiously

cautiously

,

carefully

differences

Cautiously implies avoiding danger or mistakes, while carefully can mean paying attention to detail.

cautiously
▪She cautiously walked on the icy path.
▪She walked carefully on the icy path.
carefully
▪She carefully painted the picture.
▪She painted the picture with attention to detail.
cautiously

Words with the same origin as cautiously

The origin of cautiously

cautiously comes from the Latin 'cautus', meaning 'to be on guard'.

Word structure

It has the root 'caut' (care) and suffix 'iously' (adverb), meaning 'with care'.

Words with the same origin

The root of cautiously is 'caut'. Words with the same root include caution (care) and cautious (careful).

Please select an image in the quiz

Quiz

question

Your score is

Previous post and next post

existing

existing

1863
▪existing conditions
▪existing customers
Adjective ┃
Views 1
existing

existing

1863
current, present
▪existing conditions – current situations
▪existing customers – current clients
Adjective ┃
Views 1
cautiously

cautiously

1864
▪proceed cautiously
▪act cautiously
current
post
adverb ┃
Views 2
cautiously

cautiously

1864
carefully, with caution
▪proceed cautiously – move forward carefully
▪act cautiously – do something with care
adverb ┃
Views 2
concurrently

concurrently

1865
▪concurrently with
▪run concurrently
adverb ┃
Views 2
concurrently

concurrently

1865
simultaneously, at the same time
▪concurrently with – at the same time as
▪run concurrently – happen at the same time
adverb ┃
Views 2
inaugurate

inaugurate

1866
▪inaugurate a new project
▪inaugurate a building
verb ┃
Views 4
inaugurate

inaugurate

1866
to begin formally, to introduce officially
▪inaugurate a new project – to start a new project formally
▪inaugurate a building – to officially open a building
verb ┃
Views 4
unlimited

unlimited

1867
▪unlimited access
▪unlimited data
adjective ┃
Views 1
unlimited

unlimited

1867
without limits, endless
▪unlimited access – endless use
▪unlimited data – endless data
adjective ┃
Views 1
Same category words
others

cautiously

carefully, with caution
current post
1864

faith

1485

integral

595

constructive

2040

sober

1671
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_PC
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_Mobile

View All TOEIC PDFs

Visitors & Members
2+