adverb

in depth

in DEPTH

In depth (adverb) means Thoroughly and in detail, covering all the important aspects of something. Example: “We looked at the contract in depth before signing anything.”

adverb

Thoroughly and in detail, covering all the important aspects of something.

"We looked at the contract in depth before signing anything."

"The report examines the causes in depth."

adjective

Detailed and thorough; usually written with a hyphen when it comes before a noun.

"She gave an in-depth interview about the collapse of the company."

"The course begins with an in-depth look at the data."

How to Use In depth

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishGoing properly into something rather than just skimming it.

When to use it

Neutral; common in journalism, education and business writing.

Memory tip

Never write indepth as one word; it is always two words or hyphenated.

Easily confused with

in detail at length in brief

Common pairings

in-depth analysis in-depth interview study something in depth

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We looked at the contract _____ before signing anything.

Synonyms

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thoroughly comprehensively exhaustively at length detailed thorough extensive searching

Antonyms

superficially briefly cursory superficial

Related Words

long full total specific deep completely wide eventually

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it in depth or in-depth?

Hyphenate it before a noun (an in-depth analysis) and leave it open after the verb (we analysed it in depth). This is the standard rule for compound modifiers.

What is the difference between in depth and in detail?

They overlap heavily. In detail stresses that many particulars are included; in depth stresses that the treatment goes beneath the surface to causes and implications, so a short piece can still be in depth.

Can something be too in depth?

Yes, and that is a normal criticism in writing and presentations: coverage that goes deeper than the audience needs. In that case, a summary with the detail in an appendix usually works better.

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