variants or less commonly
: 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
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.
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 Back in 2015, the Arab states of the Gulf region were leery of a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal. Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025 Some top Pentagon officials were leery, however, of the optics of having troops defend Congress from Trump supporters. Ian Swanson, The Hill, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for leery

Word History

First Known Use

1718, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leery was in 1718

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

leery

adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers

More from Merriam-Webster on leery

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