warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Examples of wary in a Sentence
Great critics are sometimes wary of great authors. Eliot and Pound usually sidled past Shakespeare.
—
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web
To avoid alienating this fan base, teams that used dynamic pricing were wary of raising prices too high or of cutting them below the levels that season-ticket holders had already paid.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Then, Dwight said, lenders got wary of financing a project that large.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
While the latest poll highlights just how much sports betting has grown, many Americans are also growing increasingly wary.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the last five years, Snap’s share price has dropped roughly 90% as investors have become more wary of a potential turnaround.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
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John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Then, Dwight said, lenders got wary of financing a project that large.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
While the latest poll highlights just how much sports betting has grown, many Americans are also growing increasingly wary.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
Over the last five years, Snap’s share price has dropped roughly 90% as investors have become more wary of a potential turnaround.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wary
adjective
ˈwa(ə)r-ē 
ˈwe(ə)r-
warier; wariest
: very cautious
especially
: being on guard against danger or trickery
wary of strangers
warily
adverb
ˈwar-ə-lē,
ˈwer-
wariness
noun
ˈwar-ē-nəs,
ˈwer-
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