leery
1 Americanadjective
-
wary; suspicious (usually followed byof ).
I'm leery of his financial advice.
-
Archaic. knowing; alert.
adjective
adjective
-
dialect knowing or sly
-
slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary
-
slang rowdy or boisterous
Other Word Forms
- leerily adverb
- leeriness noun
Etymology
Origin of leery1
First recorded in 1790–1800; leer 1 + -y 1
Origin of leery2
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.
Minutes from the central bank’s December deliberations indicated officials were leery of data signaling an improvement in economic activity.
Yet with the rate of inflation still stuck close to 3%, top Fed officials are leery of cutting rates any more for now.
From MarketWatch
Yet with the rate of inflation still stuck close to 3%, top Fed officials are leery of cutting rates any more for now.
From MarketWatch
BYD’s lineup added smaller cars, which Europeans typically buy, as well as plug-in hybrids for consumers leery of going fully electric.
Yet years of fighting to get police and prosecutors to take his claims seriously made him leery.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
