variants
or less commonly cagy
cagier; cagiest
1
: hesitant about committing oneself
officials are cagey about giving out details
2
a
: wary of being trapped or deceived : shrewd
a cagey consumer
b
: marked by cleverness
a cagey reply
Examples of cagey in a Sentence
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Recent Examples on the Web
The cagey nature of the game is reflected in the match dashboard below.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
In May 1961, Welch alleged that a CBS reporter had used underhanded tactics to interview him against his wishes, resulting in footage that made the Birch leader look cagey and defensive.
—Time, 7 Oct. 2025
With one year left on his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been cagey — arguably coy — over his future plans.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
In Other News • Bradley and Chip finally track down Claire, who is cagey, but does hand over a document that clearly points to former head of news Bethanne Hines taking a multimillion-dollar payout to kill the Wolf River story.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
In May 1961, Welch alleged that a CBS reporter had used underhanded tactics to interview him against his wishes, resulting in footage that made the Birch leader look cagey and defensive.
—Time, 7 Oct. 2025
With one year left on his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been cagey — arguably coy — over his future plans.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
In Other News • Bradley and Chip finally track down Claire, who is cagey, but does hand over a document that clearly points to former head of news Bethanne Hines taking a multimillion-dollar payout to kill the Wolf River story.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cagey. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share