variants
also cagy
1
as in slick
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of cagey
As of late, Nintendo has also been somewhat cagey about things like voice actors and the specific studios developing its games.
—
Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
This was a very tough spot against a big, cagey Vegas team that’s been constructed like something of a reverse image of the Canucks.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
During a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, Hamburg was cagey when asked if another Meet the Parents sequel could happen.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
This was a very tough spot against a big, cagey Vegas team that’s been constructed like something of a reverse image of the Canucks.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
During a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, Hamburg was cagey when asked if another Meet the Parents sequel could happen.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cagey
Adjective
-
The treatment increases pavement friction, particularly when wet weather makes roadways slick, and helps to protect concrete surfaces.—
Marina Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
11 July 2025
-
And, travelers attest to their support and durability even on slick, rocky trails.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Yet Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – which leads Germany’s coalition government – is hesitant.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
-
His defense at second base is also still evolving, too, which accentuates why the Astros are hesitant to summon him.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Residence starred Uzo Aduba as quirky detective Cordelia Cupp, who uses her cunning intellect and obsessive bird-watching abilities to crack otherwise unsolvable cases.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
2 July 2025
-
As for steps that could be taken in the nineteenth century, Lyell managed to invent a cunning way to determine the relative age of geological strata.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The band is reluctant to get into too many other details of Lydon’s behavior on that tour.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
-
Our evaluation might be incorrect, and investors may be reluctant to assign a higher valuation to P&G due to its recent decline in sales.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
July 6, 2025: Rodman watching Shelton’s match at Wimbledon is so cute the ESPN announcer literally giggles trying to talk about them.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
7 July 2025
-
Oh, and the best pairs of the bunch are also plain old comfy (and cute, in a gorpcore kind of way).—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
But the mark also represented Hackman's inability to turn down dubious projects.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
Connecticut now holds the dubious distinction of having the worst regulatory environment in the country, with unaffordable electric bills and toxic relations between PURA and utility companies.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
The second season, which debuted in 2022, starred Glenn Close as a wily longtime Mossad asset named Marjan working inside the Iranian capital.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
-
Things can be heightened about combative and wily AGIs by including the aspect of national borders and global geopolitics into the mix.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In its pleasantly complicated world-building, the series manages to be a shrewd political thriller, a cracking adventure, and a haunting religious allegory rolled into one.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
-
Beyond long-running The Lawrence Welk Show, which debuted on ABC on this day in 1955, Welk was a bandleader, an accordion player, and a shrewd businessman synonymous with squeaky-clean (and older-skewing) entertainment.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cagey. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share