variants
or less commonly leary
: suspicious, wary
—often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
Examples of leery in a Sentence
They were leery of their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
And that makes prospective visitors to the U.S., even as tourists, leery.
—
Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
To an already leery viewer, Meghan lacking the openness and vulnerability that would allow a naysayer to connect with and change their opinion of her doesn’t help.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025
But these aren’t normal times, and a scattering of headwinds on the horizon have made Federal Reserve officials leery of easing monetary policy for fear that the inflation fight isn’t over.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 June 2025
In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
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Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025
To an already leery viewer, Meghan lacking the openness and vulnerability that would allow a naysayer to connect with and change their opinion of her doesn’t help.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025
But these aren’t normal times, and a scattering of headwinds on the horizon have made Federal Reserve officials leery of easing monetary policy for fear that the inflation fight isn’t over.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 June 2025
In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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