cautionary

American

[kaw-shuh-ner-ee] / ˈkɔ ʃəˌnɛr i /

adjective

of the nature of or containing a warning.

cautionary advice; a cautionary tale.

cautionary British

/ ˈkɔːʃənərɪ /

adjective

serving as a warning; intended to warn

a cautionary tale

"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

Etymology

Origin of cautionary

First recorded in 1590–1600; caution + -ary

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.

Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant open their book User Friendly with the cautionary tale of the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

These are not cautionary tales about individual failure.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

These partnerships can be risky, regulators say, and the April 2024 collapse of Synapse Financial Technologies serves as a cautionary tale.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Law enforcement sources experienced in intelligence said such alerts are cautionary in nature.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

This new generation of neuroscientists isn’t antitechnology, despite their cautionary findings.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023