as in wary
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble
chary investors who weren't burned by the dot-com bust
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Recent Examples of chary
With that, many corporate leaders are chary about overreacting to the workforce disruption concern.
—
Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
He’s not as guarded or chary as he was immersed in the Boston Baseball Experience, where one wrong step or word can spark furor.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022
Beautiful is a strong word, and artists, critics and scholars are chary of it.
—Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2021
Knox was a bit chary on specifics, but no athlete allows that many injections without asking questions.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside Online, 1 Sep. 2021
With a writer so chary of detail, the reader rushes to fill in.
—Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021
That tone is most obvious in the author’s chary regard of his icon.
—John Semley, The New Republic, 26 May 2021
A lot of people were mildly chary of its prospects.
—The Economist, 13 Mar. 2021
Evangelical Christians, traditionally chary of getting involved in partisan politics.
—Rick Perlstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2020
Michael Peregrine, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
He’s not as guarded or chary as he was immersed in the Boston Baseball Experience, where one wrong step or word can spark furor.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022
Beautiful is a strong word, and artists, critics and scholars are chary of it.
—Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2021
Knox was a bit chary on specifics, but no athlete allows that many injections without asking questions.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside Online, 1 Sep. 2021
With a writer so chary of detail, the reader rushes to fill in.
—Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021
That tone is most obvious in the author’s chary regard of his icon.
—John Semley, The New Republic, 26 May 2021
A lot of people were mildly chary of its prospects.
—The Economist, 13 Mar. 2021
Evangelical Christians, traditionally chary of getting involved in partisan politics.
—Rick Perlstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chary
Adjective
-
Goodall was wary of doing another documentary on her life in 2017, but was persuaded by National Geographic to do so.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This shows that parents and caregivers are growing wary of mounting student loan debt and are reluctant to have their children burdened by it in the future.—
De Elizabeth,
Parents,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
During the preview, a mischievous group of young diplodocus splash in the water around a pair of kayaking guests, while other juveniles like the triceratops are more cautious in nature, choosing to stick close to their parents.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The Dodgers are being cautious.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
These treatments require careful and ongoing monitoring.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chary. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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