leery
1 Americanadjective
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wary; suspicious (usually followed byof ).
I'm leery of his financial advice.
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Archaic. knowing; alert.
adjective
adjective
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dialect knowing or sly
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slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary
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slang rowdy or boisterous
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of leery1
First recorded in 1790–1800; leer 1 + -y 1
Origin of leery2
Explanation
You can use the adjective leery to describe someone who's suspicious of a person or situation. After his brother came out with bald spots and uneven patches of buzz-cut hair, he was leery of having the same barber get near his own head. Being leery is being distrustful. If you're leery, it will probably show on your face and in your posture. You may squint and wrinkle your brows or take a few steps back. If you're leery that someone won't keep a secret, you won't confide in them, and if you're leery about whether they'll keep a promise to you, you won't count on them. Sometimes people are leery because of some proof, but often, just having a bad feeling or instinct is enough to make a person leery.
Vocabulary lists containing leery
The Outsiders
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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This Week in Words: February 12 - 16, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It felt like a piece of my childhood died along with the actor who played Dawson Leery, but it wasn’t just a parasocial relationship that had me weeping next to the soap dispenser.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
He attended Drew University to study English, but dropped out around age 20 after landing what would become the most defining role of his life: Dawson Leery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
He played Dawson Leery in the hit TV show Dawson's Creek, which ran from 1998 to 2003.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2024
Leery consumers, anticipating shortages or seeking to reduce trips to grocery stores to avoid being infected by Covid-19, have also resorted to panic buyingand the stockpiling of food and other necessities.
From Salon • Jan. 3, 2021
Leery of a burst bubble, the NBA last summer told its 22 teams invited to the league’s restart near Orlando, Fla., to pack light.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
