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
There is a chance the deal is not with the Mets, who could still be wary of committing to an aging slugger like Alonso.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Some strategists are wary of how effective term limits would be in the long run.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2025
Madrid’s staff are wary of Barca’s threat and think their rivals could have done even more damage in the Copa final.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 11 May 2025
Others will be wary of passing costs to consumers and will instead, be looking to remain competitive on price.
—Jill Standish, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Some strategists are wary of how effective term limits would be in the long run.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2025
Madrid’s staff are wary of Barca’s threat and think their rivals could have done even more damage in the Copa final.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 11 May 2025
Others will be wary of passing costs to consumers and will instead, be looking to remain competitive on price.
—Jill Standish, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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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