the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
"The audit team subjected every expense report to intense scrutiny to ensure no fraud had occurred."
a prolonged intense look
"The judge held the suspect under close scrutiny before releasing him on bail."
Intense study of someone or something.
"The new policy was placed under intense scrutiny by lawmakers before it could be passed."
In plain English: Scrutiny is when someone looks very closely at something to check for mistakes or problems.
"The new policy will be under close scrutiny by both government officials and the public."
To scrutinize.
"The committee placed every proposal under close scrutiny to ensure its accuracy."
The word scrutiny entered English from Middle English and Medieval Latin, where it originally meant a thorough search or inquiry. Its roots trace back to Late Latin scrūta, which referred to rubbish or broken trash, before evolving through the idea of sifting through debris like gold panners sifted ore.