Synonyms

wary

American

[wair-ee] / ˈwɛər i /

adjective

warier, wariest

watchful; being on one's guard against danger.

Synonyms:

prudent, circumspect, guarded, vigilant, alert
arising from or characterized by caution.

to give someone a wary look.

wary British

/ ˈwɛərɪ /

adjective

watchful, cautious, or alert
characterized by caution or watchfulness

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’d still favor using industry-standard protocols, like OpenVPN, but given that ExpressVPN has open-sourced the protocol, it makes me less wary about using it.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

An influx of artists, collectors and art fans will surely have an impact on an area that is already wary of gentrification and the rising cost of living that accompanies it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Rising energy prices have increased the probability of either interest rate hikes or delayed cuts by central banks wary of inflation, UBS noted.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

But he’s wary of getting distracted from other areas of his business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

She looked from the salad to me and back again, a wary look on her face.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023