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
Such a cap would require an act of Congress, and plenty of Republicans are leery of supporting it.
—
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Investors burned by that bust are still leery of pouring money into oil and gas a decade later, says Brandon Davis, founder of AFE Leaks, a consulting firm that tracks capital costs for oil and gas.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Construction costs and interest rates are still high, tariffs hit key building materials last year, and many developers are still leery of taking over older properties in the Central Loop.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Idaho cities leery of state control Support, while bipartisan, wasn’t universal.
—Mark Dee
march 28, Idaho Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leery
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Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Investors burned by that bust are still leery of pouring money into oil and gas a decade later, says Brandon Davis, founder of AFE Leaks, a consulting firm that tracks capital costs for oil and gas.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Construction costs and interest rates are still high, tariffs hit key building materials last year, and many developers are still leery of taking over older properties in the Central Loop.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Idaho cities leery of state control Support, while bipartisan, wasn’t universal.
—Mark Dee
march 28, Idaho Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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