warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
warily adverb
wariness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for wary

cautious, circumspect, wary, chary mean prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk.

cautious implies the exercise of forethought usually prompted by fear of danger.

a cautious driver

circumspect suggests less fear and stresses the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding.

circumspect in his business dealings

wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in watching for danger and cunning in escaping it.

keeps a wary eye on the competition

chary implies a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely.

chary of signing papers without having read them first

Examples of wary in a Sentence

Great critics are sometimes wary of great authors. Eliot and Pound usually sidled past Shakespeare. William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption. Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved. David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him. Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web While Peltz has been focused on a strategic turnaround at the group, other advisors have been wary of the negative connotations of higher executive pay during a massive cost of living crisis. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 15 Mar. 2024 The most effective way to curtail the spread of unsupported conspiracy theories is to be wary of committing confirmation bias when researching an issue. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In The Last Samurai, Sanada’s character, despite being wary of Tom Cruise’s protagonist, is shown to be tough, unbreakable, and wholly dedicated to his lord. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 And Leah is wary of the friendship of Mabel (Georgina Sadler) because her new classmate is so palpably desperate to be seen as an ally. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 Many ordinary Haitians are also wary of foreign intervention, all too aware of its painful history in the country. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 In Greendale, a south suburb of Milwaukee that leaned just slightly left in the last governor's race, the candidates running for two school board seats April 2 are wary of aligning with either political party. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Japan and the Netherlands agreed to join the U.S. export controls last year, but are wary of tightening rules further. Alan Murray, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Maintaining this leverage is one reason the United States and the EU should be wary of economic decoupling from China. Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

ware entry 2 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wary was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wary

Cite this Entry

“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wary

adjective
ˈwa(ə)r-ē How to pronounce wary (audio)
ˈwe(ə)r-
warier; wariest
: very cautious
especially : being on guard against danger or trickery
wary of strangers
warily
ˈwar-ə-lē
ˈwer-
adverb
wariness
ˈwar-ē-nəs
ˈwer-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wary

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