adjective
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protected or kept under surveillance
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prudent, restrained, or noncommittal
a guarded reply
Other Word Forms
- guardedly adverb
- guardedness noun
- self-guarded adjective
- well-guarded adjective
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.
Hastings also believed that information about a company’s goals and performance should never be a closely guarded secret but rather should be shared widely with staff.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
The disciplinary files of Los Angeles police officers are closely guarded secrets, protected by some of the nation’s strictest confidentiality laws.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Houses guarded their plants, resulting in duplication and underused capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Ireland and Luxembourg, two asset management hubs that have jealously guarded their national regimes, “gave in by early this year,” says Davide Oneglia, director of European and global macro at TS Lombard.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
“This is our target. The Ridge. A heavily defended, fiercely guarded, fortified city high up inside Isihlangu.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
