wary

American  

[wair-ee] / ˈwɛər i /

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.

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wary British  

/ ˈwɛərɪ /

adjective

1. watchful, cautious, or alert

2. characterized by caution or watchfulness

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Related Words

See careful.

Other Word Forms

• overwary adjective
• warily adverb
• wariness noun

Etymology

Origin of wary

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

Example Sentences

While growth-inflation considerations justify more fiscal and monetary easing, concerns about the fiscal deficit exceeding the legal ceiling could keep policymakers wary about making any moves until the headwinds ease.

From The Wall Street Journal

McInnes is wary of his old side, though, and he is predicting more "twists and turns" while aiming to avoid "putting too much pressure" on his players.

From BBC

Spreads between yields of other eurozone government bonds over Bunds widened as investors became increasingly wary of more indebted countries such as Italy and France.

From The Wall Street Journal

But even some of those closest to him were wary of the level of commitment Blair showed.

From BBC

China's trade dominance is also attracting back former wary customers including the UK and Canada.

From BBC

Related Words

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