Meaning & use
put under scrutiny
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Meaning
phrasetransitive
To examine or observe someone or something very closely and critically, often to find faults or problems.
Grammar: Takes an object: put something under scrutiny. Often used in passive: be put under scrutiny.
Patterns
- put someone/something under scrutiny
- be put under scrutiny
- come under scrutiny
The company's accounts were put under scrutiny after the scandal.
The new policy has been put under scrutiny by human rights groups.
His past decisions were put under scrutiny during the interview.
Word forms
| third person singular | puts under scrutiny |
|---|---|
| past tense | put under scrutiny |
| past participle | put under scrutiny |
| -ing form | putting under scrutiny |
Common combinations
- come under scrutiny
- The minister came under scrutiny for his expenses.
- intense scrutiny
- The project faced intense scrutiny from the public.
- public scrutiny
- Politicians are always subject to public scrutiny.
Synonyms and how they differ
- examine
- Examine is more neutral and general; put under scrutiny implies critical, often suspicious, examination.
- investigate
- Investigate suggests a formal, systematic inquiry; put under scrutiny can be less formal but still critical.
Opposites
Word family
- scrutinize verb
- To examine closely.
- scrutiny noun
- Critical observation or examination.
Commonly confused: put under scrutiny or put under pressure?
put under scrutiny vs put under pressure
Put under pressure means to force someone to do something by applying stress; put under scrutiny means to examine closely.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'put under scrutiny' takes 'by' to show who does the examining. Other prepositions do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “put under scrutiny”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.