adjective
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protected or kept under surveillance
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prudent, restrained, or noncommittal
a guarded reply
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of guarded
Explanation
Someone who's guarded is careful, restrained, and maybe a little bit wary. It's normal for a new rescue dog to be guarded when you first bring her home. People tend to be guarded in certain situations — when they're being criticized, or are at a party where they don't know a single person. Others simply have guarded personalities, always starting from a position of cautiousness. Guarded can also literally mean "protected," like a guarded castle, but you'll more often find it describing a restrained person.
Vocabulary lists containing guarded
"Skins" and "Nicole"
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Careful
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Vocabulary from Readings 6, Unit 1
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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.
Guarded by elite army commandos, their mascot Aloka -- a stray dog rescued in India -- walked on a leash, drawing bows and clasped hands from devotees lining the route.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Guarded optimism had turned into weary, what, me worry? acquiescence.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2021
Guarded but intellectually and artistically rigorous, and entirely authentic.
From The Guardian • Mar. 25, 2019
Guarded as a younger man, he was a grinder who preferred the behind-the-scenes work and preferred not to stand on ceremony.
From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2017
Guarded by Spot, a surly Dalmatian who took hunks of flesh out of reporters who got too close, he stormed around the barn and fretted, pouted and balked in his workouts.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
