1. (a.) Full of care; anxious; solicitous.

2. (a.) Filling with care or solicitude; exposing to concern, anxiety, or trouble; painful.

3. (a.) Taking care; giving good heed; watchful; cautious; provident; not indifferent, heedless, or reckless; -- often followed by of, for, or the infinitive; as, careful of money; careful to do right.

Scotch accurate advertent agog alert all ears all eyes assiduous attentive aware calculating canny cautious chary cheeseparing circumspect concentrated conscientious conscionable conscious conserving considerate critical curious deliberate diligent discreet discriminating discriminative duteous dutiful earnest economic economizing enlightened exact fastidious finical finicking finicky forehanded foresighted frugal fussy gingerly guarded heedful hesitant intense intent intentive judgmatic judicial judicious labor-saving leaving out nothing loving meticulous mindful money-saving nice niggling noncommittal observant observing on guard on the ball on the job open-eared open-eyed openmouthed overconscientious overlooking no possibility overscrupulous painstaking parsimonious particular pawky penny-wise politic precise provident prudent prudential punctilious punctual reflecting reflective regardful religious safe saving scrimping scrupulous skimping slow to act solicitous spare sparing strict studied systematic tender tender-conscienced tentative thorough thoughtful thrifty time-saving unadventurous uncommunicative undaring unenterprising unprecipitate unwasteful vigilant wary watchful well-advised well-judged