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 part because of misinformation, some men are leery of consuming soy, Ginn says.
—
Julia Simon, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024
Because this is something that big institutions struggle with all the time: people become set in their ways, become leery of contradicting the boss, and all that stifles innovation.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016
Many Republicans who served in the first Trump administration are leery of serving in a second.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 Aug. 2024
Even in the new public spaces in Tokyo, some émigrés were still leery of discussing China.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery 
Julia Simon, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024
Because this is something that big institutions struggle with all the time: people become set in their ways, become leery of contradicting the boss, and all that stifles innovation.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2016
Many Republicans who served in the first Trump administration are leery of serving in a second.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 Aug. 2024
Even in the new public spaces in Tokyo, some émigrés were still leery of discussing China.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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