cautiously

American  

[kaw-shuhs-lee] / ˈkɔ ʃəs li /

adverb

1. in a way that shows alertness and prudence in a hazardous or uncertain situation; carefully; warily.

   He stepped cautiously onto the loose planks.

   I am cautiously optimistic that both parties will accept the compromise.

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Other Word Forms

• hypercautiously adverb
• ultracautiously adverb
• uncautiously adverb

Etymology

Origin of cautiously

First recorded in 1610–20; cautious ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

Acting cautiously means being careful and hesitant, the way you step cautiously into the first dark room of a haunted house. Whenever you use caution as you do something, you're behaving cautiously. The Latin root, cautio, means "caution, care, or foresight." Thinking through possible dangers of a situation, or considering any problems that might come up, is acting cautiously. You should approach that cow cautiously; she kicked the last person who tried to milk her!

Example Sentences

Ap Iorwerth appears to have approached the issue cautiously ever since he took over as Plaid leader in 2023.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The researchers controlled for rents and other economic factors, though Leifheit said the findings still should be interpreted cautiously.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Gennadiy Goldberg, head of U.S. rates strategy at TD Securities, said that bonds were trading a bit more cautiously than stocks because investors tend to focus on fundamentals differently when assessing the two asset classes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

The group says expectations for the year ahead continue to be cautiously optimistic, with 20% of respondents anticipating improved financial performance, compared with 18% expecting worse financial performance over the next 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

In a minute she took one finger cautiously out of an ear, and listened.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• carefully
• slowly