wariness
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
But Etchells said despite his wariness about this, the Age of Autopilot report is useful in suggesting people may be growing more aware of their phone habits.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Motivated by price, convenience, a desire for anonymity, or wariness of interacting with a clinician, some patients buy medication online from a number of online vendors selling drugs manufactured in India.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
The cooling of tensions could draw U.S. investors back to Chinese stocks—after wariness about tit-for-tat retaliations between the two superpowers—and boost that market.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Individual investors’ increasing wariness toward risk was particularly evident on Wednesday, the J.P.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
As a newcomer Molly had liked the distance her persona created, the wariness and mistrust she saw in the eyes of her peers.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
