chary
Americanadjective
-
cautious or careful; wary.
He was chary of investing in oil wells.
- Synonyms:
- circumspect
- Antonyms:
- trustful
-
shy; timid.
- Antonyms:
- confident
-
fastidious; choosy.
She is excessively chary about her friends.
- Antonyms:
- uncritical
-
sparing (often followed byof ).
chary of his praise.
- Synonyms:
- frugal
- Antonyms:
- lavish
adjective
-
wary; careful
-
choosy; finicky
-
shy
-
sparing; mean
Other Word Forms
- charily adverb
- unchary adjective
Etymology
Origin of chary
before 1000; Middle English; Old English cearig sorrowful ( c ( e ) ar ( u ) care + -ig -y 1 ); cognate with Old Saxon karag, Old High German karag ( German karg scanty, paltry)
Explanation
Being chary (pronounced CHAIR-ee) is being wary or cautious. If you lost two teeth in last year’s rugby season, you should be chary of signing up again this year. Chary comes from the Old English word cearig for "sorrowful, careful," which is basically what you are if you’re chary. If you’re a little suspicious of something and mulling it over, you’re being chary. A synonym of chary is wary, and both include caution, but some definitions suggest that it's obvious when someone is wary — it shows — while being chary is more of an inside, or hidden, distrust.
Vocabulary lists containing chary
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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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.
Even if she wanted to pursue an exemption, the Lord Advocate would be chary of inciting the home secretary's ire.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025
Beautiful is a strong word, and artists, critics and scholars are chary of it.
From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2021
The slightly older native, say a millennial, seems a bit chary of the voice call: they text in advance to schedule them, or if they ring unannounced, start by apologising.
From The Guardian • Aug. 3, 2018
But Mr Richardson is a bit chary nonetheless when he holds the newspaper—perhaps due to its age and fragility, or perhaps in memory of those poisoned printers.
From Economist • May 23, 2018
They exhausted Sid, they exhausted Ann, and Kipps was chary of his riches.
From Kipps The Story of a Simple Soul by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
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.
