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Synonyms

cagey

American  
[key-jee] / ˈkeɪ dʒi /
Also cagy

adjective

cagier, cagiest

  1. cautious, wary, or shrewd.

    a cagey reply to the probing question.
    Synonyms:
    chary, leery, prudent, careful
    Antonyms:
    forthright, open
cagey British  
/ ˈkeɪdʒɪ /

adjective

  1. informal not open or frank; cautious; wary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • cageyness noun
  • cagily adverb
  • caginess noun

Etymology

Origin of cagey

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; cage + -y 1

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.

Prior to that announcement, though, Weisz is cagey about the film.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

It was the same this time, a fabulous Mouat double-takeout edging GB 5-4 ahead at that stage after a cagey opening half during which he and 2014 gold-medallist Brad Jacobs traded points.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

They went with serve and the seventh game was another tussle, Sabalenka holding for 4-3 after the best rally of a cagey affair.

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

Though cagey on peace with Israel, Mr. Sharaa is negotiating a security agreement with the Jewish state under Mr. Trump’s auspices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

His dad would be home soon, and so would those cagey girls who managed somehow to have all the fun and leave him and their mother with all the work.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

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.