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
Although landlocked, Uganda is said to be wary of Iran’s strategic interest in gaining a presence in the regional waters of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Rafsanjani and Khamenei became wary of the Guards’ increasing power in the late 1980s and sought to rein them in.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
But workers are also wary of the risks threatening typical 9-to-5 roles, with future-of-work reports and big-name CEOs predicting widespread workforce changes.
—Megan Sauer
sarah Jackson
sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Tolentino said people should be wary of someone at an event or elsewhere trying to sell them electricity.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
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.
Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Rafsanjani and Khamenei became wary of the Guards’ increasing power in the late 1980s and sought to rein them in.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
But workers are also wary of the risks threatening typical 9-to-5 roles, with future-of-work reports and big-name CEOs predicting widespread workforce changes.
—Megan Sauer
sarah Jackson
sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Tolentino said people should be wary of someone at an event or elsewhere trying to sell them electricity.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 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 30 Mar. 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-
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
