variants
or less commonly cagy
cagier; cagiest
1
: hesitant about committing oneself
officials are cagey about giving out details
2
a
: wary of being trapped or deceived : shrewd
a cagey consumer
b
: marked by cleverness
a cagey reply
Examples of cagey in a Sentence
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Recent Examples on the Web
American Bode Miller was always cagey about the state of his knee ligaments.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Joining another lab at her institution might be an option, but that would mean abandoning her main research interests, and other groups have also been cagey about funding.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
Exceptions finally arrived with the emergence of Max Cervantes as slick and cagey defense lawyer Billy Flynn.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
On the bright side, this is one of those rare moments of transparency that is quite uncommon for a typically disciplined and cagey administration obsessed with controlling the narrative around the governor’s executive prowess.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cagey
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Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Joining another lab at her institution might be an option, but that would mean abandoning her main research interests, and other groups have also been cagey about funding.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 30 Jan. 2026
Exceptions finally arrived with the emergence of Max Cervantes as slick and cagey defense lawyer Billy Flynn.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
On the bright side, this is one of those rare moments of transparency that is quite uncommon for a typically disciplined and cagey administration obsessed with controlling the narrative around the governor’s executive prowess.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cagey. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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