leary

1 of 2

adjective (1)

less common spelling of leery

: suspicious, wary

—often used with of

leery of strangers

She seemed a little leery of the proposal.

leery

2 of 2

adjective (2)

ˈlir-ē 

variants or less commonly leary

: suspicious, wary

—often used with of

leery of strangers

She seemed a little leery of the proposal.

Examples of leary in a Sentence

Adjective (2)

They were leery of their neighbors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Farmers often have funding from investors who may be leary of putting money into less competitive forms of enterprise. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The course comes two months after the city held a daylong expo about AI and at a time when Black communities are leery of AI and are concerned about the onslaught of data centers cropping up in their communities. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026

For example, the Republican clerk in Elbert County is also leery of election results and did a hand count of the presidential results in his county in 2020. — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective (2)

1718, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for leary

• beery
• bleary
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• eerie
• kiri
• leery
• peery
• query