warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Synonyms
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
Buckley was raised by a daughter of the Old South and was by temperament wary of sharp change.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Strategies to deter wolves from livestock include tying streamers or blinking lights to fences to make the predators wary of crossing into ranches.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
South Korean officials are wary of potential penalties that export controls may trigger from Beijing when major firms such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. still operate in China, Seoul’s largest trading partner.
—Mackenzie Hawkins, Fortune Asia, 2 Apr. 2024
The United States, Israel’s most dependable but increasingly wary ally, has repeatedly backed Israeli assessments that Hamas and other Gaza militants have used Al-Shifa as a command hub to hold hostages and store weapons.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
But Chinese aerospace jobs are generally connected to the military, and American institutions had become wary of training such students.
—Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Learn how to identify, locate, hunt, and cook these wary gobblers
|
Hunting
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The eastern wild turkey is the most abundant and widely distributed subspecies of turkey in North America.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 27 Mar. 2024
While there are still many questions to be answered, and some investors are wary, most remain bullish on Ohtani and his future career and potential — as a ballplayer and marketable athlete.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But commodity farmers are wary of modifications to the crop insurance program.
—Patrick Cooley, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Strategies to deter wolves from livestock include tying streamers or blinking lights to fences to make the predators wary of crossing into ranches.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
South Korean officials are wary of potential penalties that export controls may trigger from Beijing when major firms such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. still operate in China, Seoul’s largest trading partner.
—Mackenzie Hawkins, Fortune Asia, 2 Apr. 2024
The United States, Israel’s most dependable but increasingly wary ally, has repeatedly backed Israeli assessments that Hamas and other Gaza militants have used Al-Shifa as a command hub to hold hostages and store weapons.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
But Chinese aerospace jobs are generally connected to the military, and American institutions had become wary of training such students.
—Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Learn how to identify, locate, hunt, and cook these wary gobblers
|
Hunting
SHARE
The eastern wild turkey is the most abundant and widely distributed subspecies of turkey in North America.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 27 Mar. 2024
While there are still many questions to be answered, and some investors are wary, most remain bullish on Ohtani and his future career and potential — as a ballplayer and marketable athlete.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
But commodity farmers are wary of modifications to the crop insurance program.
—Patrick Cooley, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of wary was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to wary
Dictionary Entries Near wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids 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-
More from Merriam-Webster on wary
Nglish: Translation of wary for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of wary for Arabic Speakers
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