leery1
[leer-ee]
- wary; suspicious (usually followed by of): I'm leery of his financial advice.
- Archaic. knowing; alert.
Show More
Origin of leery1
leery2
[leer-ee]
Show More
Origin of leery2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for leery
Contemporary Examples
The medical staff were at first leery of treating her for fear of Ebola.
Trierweiler leaves the Elysée Palace having never cemented her place there with a leery French public.
Francois Hollande Announces Breakup with First Lady Valerie TrierweilerTracy McNicoll
January 26, 2014
The business has ground to a standstill as hair suppliers in other parts of Ukraine are leery of coming to the capital.
Slouching Towards Maidan: An American Hair-Trader Reflects On Ukraine’s ProtestsVijai Maheshwari
December 15, 2013
Many were leery of sending their children to school before they were sure it was completely safe.
The UCI has promised to consider such options, although some critics are leery.
Lance Armstrong’s Shadow Looms Large Over 100th Edition of Tour de FranceTracy McNicoll
October 25, 2012
Historical Examples
He was so silent and so kind of pleasant-looking I got leery of him.
The Forester's DaughterHamlin Garland
He is a leery one, this; now he is not more than a yard and a half from the target.
The South Pole, Volumes 1 and 2Roald Amundsen
But be leery that we don't get stuck for non-performance: which we can't afford.
Yellowstone NightsHerbert Quick
Their emotions are mostly expressed by indeterminable, leery grins.
In the Land of Mosques & MinaretsFrancis Miltoun
She was entirely frigid or else so leery of men that she might as well have been one herself.
Mate in Two MovesWinston Marks
leery
leary
- mainly dialect knowing or sly
- slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary
- slang rowdy or boisterous
Show More
Word Origin
C18: perhaps from obsolete sense (to look askance) of leer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for leery
adj.
"untrusting, suspicious, alert," 1718, originally slang, with -y (2), and perhaps from dialectal lere "learning, knowledge" (see lore), or from leer (v.) in some now-obscure sense. OED suggests connection with archaic leer (adj.) "empty, useless," a general Germanic word (cf. German leer, Dutch laar), of unknown origin.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper