wary

play

adjective \ˈwer-ē\

Definition of wary

warier

;

wariest

: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger

warily

play \ˈwer-ə-lē\ adverb

wariness

play \ˈwer-ē-nəs\ noun

See wary defined for English-language learners

See wary defined for kids

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.

Recent Examples of wary from the Web

If potential business partners continue to be wary of the scrutiny that comes with involvement with a firm bearing his name, Mr Kushner might end up having to choose between his property interests and his public role.

— The Economist, "Searching for a Kushy landingThe Trump presidency may not have helped Kushner Companies," 20 July 2017
Government officials worried that allowing a cannabis scene like the one in Amsterdam would make Uruguay a pariah among neighboring countries wary about legalization.

— ernesto londoÑo, New York Times, "Uruguay’s Marijuana Law Turns Pharmacists Into Dealers," 19 July 2017
Diaz-Balart is wary of giving away congressional oversight, much like Congress did in 2011 when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created as an independent agency.

— alex daugherty, miamiherald, "Trump plan to overhaul air traffic control has key opponent: Mario Diaz-Balart," 5 July 2017
Nationally, the public is wary of the leading opposition, the Democratic Party, which is seen as having failed to deliver during more than three years in power before Mr. Abe.

— motoko rich, New York Times, "Tokyo Voters’ Rebuke Signals Doubt About Shinzo Abe’s Future," 3 July 2017
However, teams likely would be wary of dealing for a 30-year-old journeyman the Padres claimed off waivers two months ago.

— dennis lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres mailbag: Which relief prospect will be called up next?," 3 July 2017
To appease wary moderates—particularly those representing states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and have been ravaged by the opioid crisis, such as Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia—

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "The Republican Plot to Kill Obamacare Isn't as Dead as It Seems," 30 June 2017
The forlorn school's matriarch, wary both of Union soldiers and of temptations embodied by Farrell, is Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman).

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'The Beguiled': Colin Farrell wreaks havoc with cloister of Southern belles," 29 June 2017
Within hours of House Republicans narrowly passing their bill to repeal Obamacare last month, Mitch McConnell assured wary members of his caucus that the Senate wouldn’t vote on the unpopular and deeply flawed American Health Care Act.

— vanityfair.com, "Mitch McConnell’s Master Plan Goes Up in Smoke," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wary

¹ware, from Middle English war, ware, from Old English wær careful, aware, wary; akin to Old High German giwar aware, attentive, Latin vereri to fear, Greek horan to see

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of wary

cautious, circumspect, wary, chary mean prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk. cautious implies the exercise of forethought usually prompted by fear of danger. a cautious driver circumspect suggests less fear and stresses the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding. circumspect in his business dealings wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in watching for danger and cunning in escaping it. keeps a wary eye on the competition chary implies a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely. chary of signing papers without having read them first

WARY Defined for English Language Learners

wary

play

adjective

Definition of wary for English Language Learners

: not having or showing complete trust in someone or something that could be dangerous or cause trouble

WARY Defined for Kids

wary

play

adjective \ˈwer-ē\

Definition of wary for Students

warier

;

wariest

: very cautious The baker's worries about ogres and bandits I thought exaggerated … However, I was wary of strangers. — Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted