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
The study, by the Kearney Consumer Institute, found that consumers are wary of spending.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Europe is wary of sleepwalking back into the trap of reliance on Russian energy resources that caused an energy crisis at the outset of the 2022 invasion and mounting speculation that Europe might reopen its taps has sparked pushback from key European voices.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Be wary of feature walls, Studholme warns, which often cause havoc by playing with a room’s proportions.
—Ariel Okin, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025
Businesses are wary of making those investments, citing uncertainty in operating conditions initiated by Trump’s tariff push, which has been rolled out in fits and starts.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Europe is wary of sleepwalking back into the trap of reliance on Russian energy resources that caused an energy crisis at the outset of the 2022 invasion and mounting speculation that Europe might reopen its taps has sparked pushback from key European voices.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Be wary of feature walls, Studholme warns, which often cause havoc by playing with a room’s proportions.
—Ariel Okin, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025
Businesses are wary of making those investments, citing uncertainty in operating conditions initiated by Trump’s tariff push, which has been rolled out in fits and starts.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 17 Apr. 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 3 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-
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share