wary

[wair-ee]

adjective

warier, wariest 

1. watchful; being on one's guard against danger.

   Synonyms: prudent, circumspect, guarded, vigilant, alert

2. arising from or characterized by caution.

   to give someone a wary look.

wary

/ ˈwɛərɪ /

adjective

1. watchful, cautious, or alert

2. characterized by caution or watchfulness

Other Word Forms

• warily adverb
• wariness noun
• overwary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wary¹

First recorded in 1545–55; ware ² + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of wary¹

C16: from _ware ² + _-y ¹

Synonym Study

See careful.

Example Sentences

If you’re wary about opening up a new credit card but still want to pay your holiday shopping bill in installments, you might be tempted by buy-now-pay-later loans, an increasingly common payment option.

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Of those, roughly a third are sanctioned barrels—with some would-be buyers wary of taking delivery, at least temporarily—and another 80 million are in long-haul transit from the Americas to Asia, he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In a separate release, the ONS said retail sales fell by 1.1% in October, an indication that households were wary of spending until the budget provides clarity about their future tax bills.

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Taliban leaders crave wider recognition and foreign investment, but sanctions on senior figures have made investors wary.

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While shoppers have been gearing up for the holiday season and making lists of potential gifts, Wall Street has been growing wary.

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Related Words

• attentive 
• circumspect 
• considerate 
• distrustful 
• frugal 
• leery 
• prudent 
• suspicious 
• vigilant 
• watchful