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.
Keith, guarded and intense, could have cared less about flash and showmanship.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Is artificial intelligence so powerful that it needs to be carefully guarded?
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Security was tight during the court session on Tuesday, with suspects transported in heavily guarded convoys under military, police and intelligence supervision.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
It sure looked like closely guarded national security information was being used to make a quick buck.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
At its foot, guarded by a solitary yew tree, was a cavern of darkness like a silent scream: a gaping stone mouth.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
