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

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Etymology

Origin of cautiously

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

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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

See Examples For:

cautiously

Her main advice was to proceed cautiously and work out a multiyear solution where you might convert small amounts, like $40,000 a year for four years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

But Schomaker remains cautiously optimistic that countries can overcome their differences.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

That’s why we’re cautiously hopeful that after the midterms, Congress will seize the opportunity to make prior authorization and broader insurance marketplace reforms a priority.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

Yet - in public - Europe's leaders have remained cautiously quiet.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

The boy responded by cautiously moving out from behind the desk, keeping his back to the wall and his eyes fixed on the man.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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Related Words

• carefully
• slowly

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