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"careful" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often cautious (8 letters).
Definitions
exercising caution or showing care or attention
Word origin
From Middle English careful, from Old English carful; equivalent to care + -ful.
Used in a sentence
“He was a slow and careful driver.”
“Be very careful (while) trekking through the jungle.”
“They made a careful search of the crime scene.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“With due caution”7 letters
02“Cautious and attentive”7 letters
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