as in warning
serving as or offering a warning
the story of King Midas is a cautionary tale about the perils of wishing for something—you just might get it
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Recent Examples of cautionary
Based on Williams' performance, several individuals issued cautionary remarks about the Bears' QB regarding his next game and the remainder of the NFL season.
—
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Europe is a cautionary tale, not one the US should emulate or ignore.
—David Doty, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Gipson-Long serves as a cautionary example of how things do not always click soon after returning to play.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Repole’s cautionary advice carries significant weight given his impressive business track record.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Comedian John Early’s directorial debut Maddie’s Secret is not a straightforward cautionary tale about bulimia.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Murphy, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears — just to name a few — were all presented as cautionary tales.
—Rachel Harrison, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Southern Living's Grumpy Gardener has his own cautionary tale about finding old, extremely dangerous garden chemicals in his mother's basement.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Europe is a cautionary tale, not one the US should emulate or ignore.
—David Doty, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Gipson-Long serves as a cautionary example of how things do not always click soon after returning to play.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Repole’s cautionary advice carries significant weight given his impressive business track record.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
Comedian John Early’s directorial debut Maddie’s Secret is not a straightforward cautionary tale about bulimia.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Murphy, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears — just to name a few — were all presented as cautionary tales.
—Rachel Harrison, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Southern Living's Grumpy Gardener has his own cautionary tale about finding old, extremely dangerous garden chemicals in his mother's basement.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cautionary
warning
Adjective
-
The bureau also will post more warning notices at 750 livestock sale facilities and review other potential changes to federal regulations.—
SCOTT SONNER,
Star Tribune,
27 July 2021
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In response, statistical authorities around the world could do little but issue warning press releases.—
Andrew Whitby,
Time,
17 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Cautionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cautionary. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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