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
Michaels and other artists have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight.
—Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
Michaels and other artists have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 30 May 2026
But Nassar was also wary of exposing the gap between the state’s authority and its actual power.
—Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
Data center construction has stalled, and banks have grown wary of the glut of debt piling up behind it.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
Michaels and other artists have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 30 May 2026
But Nassar was also wary of exposing the gap between the state’s authority and its actual power.
—Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
Data center construction has stalled, and banks have grown wary of the glut of debt piling up behind it.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 29 May 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 2 Jun. 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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