wary
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.wary
adjective \ˈwer-ē\war·i·erwar·i·est
Definition of WARY
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
— war·i·ly \ˈwer-ə-lē\ adverb
— war·i·ness \ˈwer-ē-nəs\ noun
See Examples of WARY
- The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
- Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
- 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
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Origin of WARY
1ware, from Middle English war, ware, from Old English wær careful, aware, wary; akin to Old High German giwar aware, attentive, Latin vereri to fear, Greek horan to see
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to WARY
- Synonyms
- alert, cautious, chary, circumspect, conservative, considerate, gingerly, guarded, heedful, safe, careful
See Synonym Discussion at cautious
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