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Synonyms

guarded

American  
[gahr-did] / ˈgɑr dɪd /

adjective

  1. cautious; careful; prudent.

    to be guarded in one's speech.
    Synonyms:
    vigilant, circumspect, chary, watchful, wary

  2. protected, watched, or restrained, as by a guard.

guarded British  
/ ˈɡɑːdɪd /

adjective

  1. protected or kept under surveillance

  2. prudent, restrained, or noncommittal

    a guarded reply
"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

  • guardedly adverb
  • guardedness noun
  • self-guarded adjective
  • well-guarded adjective

Etymology

Origin of guarded

First recorded in 1500–10; guard + -ed 2

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.

Who guarded them under maximum-security conditions while waiting for the international coalition to decide their fate?

From The Wall Street Journal

His shaggy, blond hair was caught under a blue knit winter hat, and his checkered flannel coat guarded him from the winter weather that still chilled the air in late March.

From Literature

“It must be plucked from the tree of living gold. The tree is on Areat, guarded by a jaculus dragon. There.”

From Literature

The warehouse's location is a closely guarded secret for security purposes.

From BBC

OpenAI shared the tech for accurate audio transcription, once a closely guarded big tech secret.

From Los Angeles Times

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.