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
She’s perfected her travel routine Like any typical traveler, Fatu is leery of sharing her space with strangers and leaving her immune system at the mercy of an airline cleaning crew.
—
Martie Bowser, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
When the two talked, Doumbia was leery of just about anybody.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
The costs associated with owning a condo may have prospective buyers feeling leery.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
Many crypto industry leaders, as well as some members of Congress, are leery of the government holding something so risky.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
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Martie Bowser, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
When the two talked, Doumbia was leery of just about anybody.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
The costs associated with owning a condo may have prospective buyers feeling leery.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
Many crypto industry leaders, as well as some members of Congress, are leery of the government holding something so risky.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 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 4 May. 2025.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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