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
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
Flush with promise: After decades of trying to court leery American consumers, high-tech Japanese toilet makers are finally seeing a shift.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
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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
Flush with promise: After decades of trying to court leery American consumers, high-tech Japanese toilet makers are finally seeing a shift.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 30 May 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 19 Jun. 2025.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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