wary
- watchful; being on one's guard against danger.
- arising from or characterized by caution: to give someone a wary look.
Origin of wary
Synonyms for wary
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Related Words for wary
distrustful, watchful, attentive, considerate, suspicious, frugal, circumspect, vigilant, prudent, leery, alert, cagey, calculating, canny, chary, discreet, gingerly, guarded, heedful, providentExamples from the Web for wary
Contemporary Examples of wary
But after a troubled history with alcohol, some tribes are wary.
Moran does so with fearless honesty and bravura, but admits she was wary about oversharing when she wrote How to Be a Woman.
When members of the International Commission arrived to help, the community was wary.
Consumers have been schooled to be wary of companies that offer them valuable products for free along with substantial rebates.
Clients who are wary of online transactions are liable to see escorts with print ads as less likely to cheat or scam them.
Historical Examples of wary
Tranter, cunning and wary from years of fighting, knew that his chance had come.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
But when they reached Rhegium, the wary Spartan was already beyond their reach.
Stories from ThucydidesH. L. Havell
The very lavishness arouses suspicion in the minds of the wary.
In the Heart of VosgesMatilda Betham-Edwards
But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily disconcerted.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
He sought no return fire, but lay in the dip, wary and patient.
The Rock of ChickamaugaJoseph A. Altsheler
wary
- watchful, cautious, or alert
- characterized by caution or watchfulness
Word Origin for wary
Word Origin and History for wary
1550s, from Old English wær "prudent, aware, alert, wary," from Proto-Germanic *waraz (cf. Old Norse varr "attentive," Gothic wars "cautious," Old Saxon giwar, Middle Dutch gheware, Old High German giwar, German gewahr "aware"), from PIE root *wer- "to cover" (see weir). Related: Warily; wariness.