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
The two sides were wary of letting their attacks on each other, which often followed a tit-for-tat pattern, get out of hand.
—Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
The German government and German businesses are also wary of any potential future conflict over Taiwan.
—Reuters, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
My male clients feel challenged by how to present themselves and are wary of what topics are off limits, being careful not to seem overly aggressive or creepy.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 13 Apr. 2024
Zaillian was also wary of giving a cat such an important role in his adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Tehran will be wary of any retaliatory strike that would invite a significant military response beyond Israel’s already aggressive posture against the IRGC and Quds Force.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
However, reports have indicated the NHL — and especially the NHL Players’ Association — are wary of having the team spend three more seasons at tiny Mullett Arena, where the primary tenant is the Arizona State men’s hockey team.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Don’t click on links or download attachments from unknown senders and be wary of anyone asking for personal or sensitive information.
—Advertorial, Orange County Register, 10 Apr. 2024
He was overruled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the War Cabinet, as senior national security officials were wary of further escalations during the war, with limited troops available.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
The German government and German businesses are also wary of any potential future conflict over Taiwan.
—Reuters, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
My male clients feel challenged by how to present themselves and are wary of what topics are off limits, being careful not to seem overly aggressive or creepy.
—Myisha Battle, TIME, 13 Apr. 2024
Zaillian was also wary of giving a cat such an important role in his adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Tehran will be wary of any retaliatory strike that would invite a significant military response beyond Israel’s already aggressive posture against the IRGC and Quds Force.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
However, reports have indicated the NHL — and especially the NHL Players’ Association — are wary of having the team spend three more seasons at tiny Mullett Arena, where the primary tenant is the Arizona State men’s hockey team.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Don’t click on links or download attachments from unknown senders and be wary of anyone asking for personal or sensitive information.
—Advertorial, Orange County Register, 10 Apr. 2024
He was overruled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the War Cabinet, as senior national security officials were wary of further escalations during the war, with limited troops available.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 10 Apr. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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