Meaning 1
To feel genuine concern or affection for someone or something.
Reach for it when expressing that another person's welfare or a valued cause matters emotionally
The neighbors care about every child having a safe route to school.
Meaning 2
To give close attention to the quality or outcome of an action.
Reach for it when showing that standards and consequences matter in practical work
Good translators care about rhythm as well as literal accuracy.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday |
| |
| warm |
| |
| professional | ||
| literary |
everyday
be concerned
Fits when worry about welfare or consequences is explicit
Careful Concern can arise from fear and need not include affection.
warm
Fits when affection is deep, personal, and central
Careful Love is stronger and more intimate than concern for a colleague or public cause.
professional
Fits when respect or importance matters more than tenderness
Careful A company may value efficiency without feeling care in any human sense.
literary
Fits when someone or something is held as precious over time
Careful Cherish implies treasured value, not broad concern for strangers.
everyday
mind
Fits when taking notice or objecting should sound conversational
Careful Mind often means being bothered, which can reverse the positive tone.
warm
take pride in
Fits when personal standards motivate careful work
Careful Pride focuses on the maker's relationship to the result, not its wider effects.
professional
attend to
Fits when careful practical attention is the main action
Careful Attending to details may be dutiful even when the person feels indifferent.
care deeply
The nurses care deeply about preserving each patient's dignity.
care for others
Children learn to care for others by seeing kindness practiced.
care about quality
Craft workers care about quality even in details no buyer will notice.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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