chary

American  

[chair-ee] / ˈtʃɛər i /

adjective

charier, chariest

1. cautious or careful; wary.

   He was chary of investing in oil wells.

   Synonyms:

   circumspect

   Antonyms:

   trustful

2. shy; timid.

   Antonyms:

   confident

3. fastidious; choosy.

   She is excessively chary about her friends.

   Antonyms:

   uncritical

4. sparing (often followed byof ).

   chary of his praise.

   Synonyms:

   frugal

   Antonyms:

   lavish

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chary British  

/ ˈtʃɛərɪ /

adjective

1. wary; careful

2. choosy; finicky

3. shy

4. sparing; mean

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Other Word Forms

• charily adverb
• unchary adjective

Etymology

Origin of chary

before 1000; Middle English; Old English cearig sorrowful ( c ( e ) ar ( u ) care + -ig -y ¹ ); cognate with Old Saxon karag, Old High German karag ( German karg scanty, paltry)

Example Sentences

Even if she wanted to pursue an exemption, the Lord Advocate would be chary of inciting the home secretary's ire.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

I always feel chary about recommending the Society’s books since I’ve supplied introductions to several of them.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2020

But his personal experience made him chary, too.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018

But Mr Richardson is a bit chary nonetheless when he holds the newspaper—perhaps due to its age and fragility, or perhaps in memory of those poisoned printers.

From Economist • May 23, 2018

The man seemed to be habitually chary of speech.

From Amusement Only by Marsh, Richard