variants
also cagy
1
as in slick
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cagey
As for the significance of the word mammalian, which implies that other types of animals are being nurtured in this environment, Erickson was cagey.
—
Jen Chaney, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025
As of late, Nintendo has also been somewhat cagey about things like voice actors and the specific studios developing its games.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
During a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, Hamburg was cagey when asked if another Meet the Parents sequel could happen.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Jen Chaney, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025
As of late, Nintendo has also been somewhat cagey about things like voice actors and the specific studios developing its games.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
During a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, Hamburg was cagey when asked if another Meet the Parents sequel could happen.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cagey
Adjective
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Johnson has always been a bit slick in the promotion of his brand; there’s something smarmy and politician-ish about his attempts to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Rosé’s distinctive voice lent a touch of vulnerability to the group’s slick choreography.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Season one ended on a cliffhanger as Joanne was hesitant to convert to Judaism, despite Noah’s promotion to head rabbi.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Santa Clara County Board of Education co-sponsored the bill and said more than 165,000 students in the county live in a mixed-immigration status household and many families live in fear or are hesitant to sent their children to school.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
-
However, her inner voice reveals a sardonic sense of humor, cunning intellect, and keen eye for details most people would miss… because Emily has a big secret.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The callow striver Redmond Barry is played by 1970s heartthrob Ryan O’Neal, in one of his best performances, a reluctant conscript in the British army after leaving his Irish home in disgrace.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
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Still, some Republican lawmakers said Trump may be reluctant to tap a policymaker previously nominated by a Democrat.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rumors about the Only Murders in the Building star's nuptials with Benny Blanco being this weekend turned out to be 100-percent true, and as soon as a few beautiful photos of the cute couple were green-lighted to be shared with the eager public, fans were double-tapping with tears in their eyes.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
27 Sep. 2025
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The set comes in moody neutrals like gray, indigo, cream, and white, and even arrives in a cute storage tote.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps Musk didn’t care whether a dubious video accusing Disney World employees of being pedophiles was true.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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When Kimberly and her family leave the New Jersey suburbs under dubious circumstances, Kimberly reevaluates her life while dealing with her hypochondriac mother, alcoholic father, scam-artist aunt, her own mortality and her first love.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The book is a kind of illness travelogue in which the wily poet-author’s avatar shows up every day in a new mind and body, and often in a new place, with rejiggered symptoms, and attempts to win her reborn self’s favor, or at least its mercy.—
Paul McAdory,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
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The semicolon is a wily punctuation mark.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Little is known about Agnes, but she's portrayed as a sharp and shrewd matriarch by Dervla Kirwan in House of Guinness.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Don't miss these So many of the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers were acquired in shrewd trades.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cagey. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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