cautious
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does cautious mean? Cautious describes using, showing, or characterized by caution, which means a wariness in a dangerous situation, as in Vikram was a cautious man who never jumped straight into things. Cautious is often used to describe the behavior of a person who is concerned about impending danger or possible misfortune. If you are cautious, you are showing care or hesitation before taking an action.Cautious is also used in warnings, as in You should be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true. The adverb form of cautious is cautiously, as in Shontel cautiously approached the rickety bridge. The noun form of cautious is cautiousness, as in They reacted with cautiousness to the suspicious man’s generosity. Example: It is a good idea to be cautious when signing contracts and consider your options first.
Related Words
See careful.
Other Word Forms
- cautiously adverb
- cautiousness noun
- hypercautious adjective
- hypercautiousness noun
- supercautious adjective
- ultracautious adjective
- ultracautiousness noun
- uncautious adjective
- uncautiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of cautious
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.
Despite progress in the inventory correction, the auto industry is being cautious as a slow electric-vehicle rollout and fierce competition from Chinese rivals forced some brands to review their lineups and scale back production.
The Bank of Japan has grown more cautious about the inflation risk posed by a weak yen, a summary of opinions showed, after recent volatility put markets on alert for intervention.
Yet he remains cautious about the deluge of AI-related debt issuance expected this year and whether it will strain the investment-grade bond market.
From MarketWatch
The plans announced by Siemens Energy suggest that the cautious optimism continues.
The cautious and methodical Congressional Budget Office has increasingly focused on how regulatory processes, especially permitting requirements, affect the pace and cost of building infrastructure and expanding productive capacity.
From Barron's
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.
