CAUTIOUSLY Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

cautiously

adverb

Definition of cautiously

as in deliberately

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cautiously Sams cautiously hopes there will be a rebuilding period for the park service under the next administration. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Kim Alexander is cautiously optimistic that won't be the case. — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026 The Panthers — normally among the NFL’s most aggressive teams on fourth down — also played this one cautiously for much of the way, trying to make McKee have to go 80-plus yards every possession. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026 Alex Wong/Getty Images Polls and pundits alike are widely — if sometimes cautiously — predicting a blue wave in the midterm elections on November 3. — Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026 But agency heads, especially those who sit on bipartisan boards or commissions, cannot completely ignore Democratic lawmakers, and may move cautiously on very contentious issues, said executives. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 While those producers who spoke to Variety were cautiously optimistic that the industry has finally turned the page, there remains much work to be done. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Resident Kitty McGowan remains cautiously optimistic about the neighborhood's defense against flooding. — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 But don’t count on the administration to continue so cautiously after the midterms. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cautiously

Adverb

The New York Times published a report earlier Wednesday saying the Peltola campaign coordinated with Democratic operatives to recruit a second Dan Sullivan to be on the Senate ballot to deliberately confuse voters.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026
The experts concluded that wounds suggested many victims had been deliberately targeted and killed.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of deliberately

Adverb

Matsui, meanwhile, has tried to carefully navigate keeping her moderate Democrat base while appealing to Republicans who might view Vang as too liberal for the district.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Then carefully brûlée using a kitchen blowtorch, moving in a circular pattern, until the sugar is melted and a deep amber color.

— Rachel Gurjar, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of carefully

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cautious

cautiously

cautiousness

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“Cautiously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cautiously. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cautiously

adverb

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