cagey

adjective

ca·​gey ˈkā-jē How to pronounce cagey (audio)
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
cagily adverb
caginess noun
or less commonly cageyness

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
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.
The second half was a much cagier affair, with the best chance falling to Pulisic in the 68th minute, only for his low effort to be parried away by Brazil’s goalkeeper Allison. Ben Morse, CNN, 13 June 2024 One big change is that interest rates are higher, which makes large purchases more expensive to finance, and makes buyers cagier about purchasing anything, new cars included. Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 DeSantis has been extremely cagey when asked direct questions about his vaccination status. Chris Cillizza, CNN, 5 Jan. 2022 Biden and Clyburn have been longtime friends, but Clyburn stayed cagey in the days leading up to his endorsement announcement. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2020 See all Example Sentences for cagey 

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cagey was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near cagey

Cite this Entry

“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cagey. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cagey

adjective
ca·​gey
variants also cagy
cagier; cagiest
: very careful of not being trapped or deceived
a cagey buyer
cagily adverb
caginess
-jē-nəs
noun

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