caution

[ kaw-shuhn ]

/ ˈkɔ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caution ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care; wariness: Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.

a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning: By way of caution, he told me the difficulties I would face.

Informal. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension: She's a caution. The way he challenges your remarks is a caution.

verb (used with object)

to give warning to; advise or urge to take heed.

verb (used without object)

to warn or advise: The newspapers caution against overoptimism.

Nearby words

Origin of caution

1250–1300; Middle English caucion < Latin cautiōn- (stem of cautiō) a taking care, equivalent to caut(us), past participle of cavēre to guard against (cau- take care, guard + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR caution

1. circumspection, discretion, watchfulness, heed, vigilance. 2. admonition, advice, counsel. 4. admonish, forewarn.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caution ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR caution

1. carelessness.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR caution ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cau·tion·er, nouno·ver·cau·tion, noun, verb (used with object)re·cau·tion, verb (used with object)su·per·cau·tion, noun

un·cau·tioned, adjectivewell-cau·tioned, adjective

Synonym study

4. See warn.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cautioned

Camarillo also cautioned families about other clues that may be worth further examination before allowing someone into your home.
When Mrs. Doubtfire Won’t Leave|Keli Goff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Well, maybe it was a gamma-ray burst, or maybe it was something else, cautioned some others.
The Gamma-Ray Burst That Wasn’t|Matthew R. Francis|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he cautioned that last-minute snags could still derail an agreement.
Turkey Turns Back Toward Israel|Thomas Seibert|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Dr. Rebecca Brightman, an ob-gyn in private practice, cautioned that such fears are overblown.
The Next Big Environmental Fight: Tampons?|Keli Goff|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Although Burwell was confirmed to head OMB by a vote of 96-0, Daschle cautioned that he thought she wouldn't have an "easy ride."
Kathleen Sebelius Resigning From HHS|Ben Jacobs|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I cautioned them of the Consequences of eateing too much &c.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark|Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Our moniteurs had often cautioned us against being comfortably certain about anything while in the air.
High Adventure|James Norman Hall
If ever there was a time when our young people require to be cautioned, and warned, and helped and guided, it is now.
Rome, Turkey, and Jerusalem|Edward Hoare
She had cautioned the girls against opening theirs, but Billie had flatly rebelled.
The Motor Maids Across the Continent|Katherine Stokes
Thus regretted and cautioned on all hands, Mordaunt took leave of the hospitable household.
An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises|George Lyman Kittredge

British Dictionary definitions for cautioned

caution

/ (ˈkɔːʃən) /

noun

care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness

something intended or serving as a warning; admonition

law, mainly British a formal warning given to a person suspected or accused of an offence that his words will be taken down and may be used in evidence

a notice entered on the register of title to land that prevents a proprietor from disposing of his or her land without a notice to the person who entered the caution

informal an amusing or surprising person or thingshe's a real caution

verb

(tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful

(tr) law, mainly British to give a caution to (a person)

(intr) to warn, urge, or advisehe cautioned against optimism

Derived Formscautioner, noun

Word Origin for caution

C13: from Old French, from Latin cautiō, from cavēre to beware

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

Word Origin and History for cautioned

caution

"to warn," 1640s, from caution (n.). Related: Cautioned; cautioning.

caution

c.1300, "bail, guarantee, pledge," from Old French caution "security, surety" (13c.), from Latin cautionem (nominative cautio) "caution, care, foresight, precaution," noun of action from past participle stem of cavere "to be on one's guard" (see caveat). The Latin sense re-emerged in English 16c.-17c. Meaning "word of warning" is from c.1600.

Idioms and Phrases with cautioned

caution

see throw caution to the winds.

caution

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of caution

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for cautioned

caution

noun

verb

Word Origin for caution

caution

caution

caution