wary

[wair-ee]

See more synonyms for wary on Thesaurus.com

adjective, war·i·er, war·i·est.

watchful; being on one's guard against danger.
arising from or characterized by caution: to give someone a wary look.

Origin of wary

First recorded in 1545–55; ware² + -y¹

Related formswar·i·ly, adverbwar·i·ness, nouno·ver·war·y, adjective

Can be confusedwary weary leery

Synonyms

See more synonyms for wary on Thesaurus.com

1. alert, vigilant, guarded, circumspect, prudent.

Synonym study

1. See careful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for wary

Contemporary Examples

But after a troubled history with alcohol, some tribes are wary.
Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It
Abby Haglage
December 13, 2014
Moran does so with fearless honesty and bravura, but admits she was wary about oversharing when she wrote How to Be a Woman.
Join Caitlin Moran’s Riotous Feminist Revolution
Lizzie Crocker
September 29, 2014
When members of the International Commission arrived to help, the community was wary.
1976 Vs. Today: Ebola’s Terrifying Evolution
Abby Haglage
September 10, 2014
Consumers have been schooled to be wary of companies that offer them valuable products for free along with substantial rebates.
Panel Discussion
The Daily Beast
September 8, 2014
Clients who are wary of online transactions are liable to see escorts with print ads as less likely to cheat or scam them.
The Importance of Adult Classifieds
Hazlitt
September 6, 2014

Historical Examples

Tranter, cunning and wary from years of fighting, knew that his chance had come.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
But when they reached Rhegium, the wary Spartan was already beyond their reach.
Stories from Thucydides
H. L. Havell
The very lavishness arouses suspicion in the minds of the wary.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily disconcerted.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
He sought no return fire, but lay in the dip, wary and patient.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for wary

wary

adjective warier or wariest

watchful, cautious, or alert
characterized by caution or watchfulness

Derived Formswarily, adverbwariness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from ware ² + -y 1

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 wary

adj.

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.

wary

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}wary

Synonyms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for wary

Contemporary Examples

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

Tranter, cunning and wary from years of fighting, knew that his chance had come.

But when they reached Rhegium, the wary Spartan was already beyond their reach.

The very lavishness arouses suspicion in the minds of the wary.

But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily disconcerted.

He sought no return fire, but lay in the dip, wary and patient.

wary

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for wary

adj.

Origin of wary