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
But despite that backing, most Americans are wary of the consequences.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
But even those vendors that are likely to still be in the mix remain wary.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 18 June 2025
Be wary of any domains using current event keywords to solicit a click.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
But be wary of any bids that are out of line with others, especially any that are very low.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
But even those vendors that are likely to still be in the mix remain wary.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 18 June 2025
Be wary of any domains using current event keywords to solicit a click.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
But be wary of any bids that are out of line with others, especially any that are very low.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 June 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 Jul. 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-
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