adjective
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protected or kept under surveillance
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prudent, restrained, or noncommittal
a guarded reply
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of guarded
Explanation
Someone who's guarded is careful, restrained, and maybe a little bit wary. It's normal for a new rescue dog to be guarded when you first bring her home. People tend to be guarded in certain situations — when they're being criticized, or are at a party where they don't know a single person. Others simply have guarded personalities, always starting from a position of cautiousness. Guarded can also literally mean "protected," like a guarded castle, but you'll more often find it describing a restrained person.
Vocabulary lists containing guarded
"Skins" and "Nicole"
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Careful
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Vocabulary from Readings 6, Unit 1
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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.
"His symbolic value means he's very heavily guarded, but it's certainly possible."
From BBC • May 21, 2026
For much of the game, small forward Rae Burrell guarded Clark, who netted 24 points with nine assists, but it was Kelsey Mitchell’s night, too, as the shooting guard finished with 23 points.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Tedros said the Hondius evacuees would be received “at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
In the 20-minute speech, Charles is expected to appeal to Trump in guarded terms, saying that defending common democratic ideals is "crucial for liberty and equality" in a time of international challenges.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
“What good are kindness, self-sacrifice, energy, and a sense of responsibility if they are so jealously guarded that only one’s brothers and sisters may benefit from them?”
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
