wariness
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- overwariness noun
Etymology
Origin of wariness
Explanation
Wariness is the characteristic of being very cautious or careful. It's smart to have certain amount of wariness when you approach a dog you don't know. Your wariness might cause you not to trust people when you first meet them — reserving judgment or waiting to see if they turn out to be reliable can both be evidence of wariness. Sometimes wariness is entirely appropriate, like when you move through a haunted house or handle a snake. The noun wariness comes from the adjective wary, or "cautious or careful," with its Old English root, wær, "prudent, aware, or alert."
Vocabulary lists containing wariness
"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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Every Day
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More Than a Dream
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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.
On the whole, there appears to be a healthy mix of market confidence and wariness.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Dimon’s wariness contrasts with his own bank’s strategist.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
But Navarra said the move also "puts TikTok out of step with global privacy expectations" and might reinforce wariness for some about its ownership.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
But Mr. Belcher doesn’t succeed in making Coriolanus’ wariness of empty words a mark of his nobility of spirit—imperfect though it is.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
Nevertheless, he did exhibit a certain wariness in dealing with the U.S. government.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
