as in careful
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble
gave the cork on the bottle of champagne a gingerly twist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in carefully
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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 gingerly
Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
For many of us, stemmed crystal sparkled under the dimmed light of a breakfront while a collection of coffee mugs were stacked gingerly on top of each other in a shuttered cabinet.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Kendall Karson, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2021
All the while, amid the unpacking of groceries and food prep and reminiscing, the group addresses in gingerly fashion the subject of Rose’s cancer.
—Alexandra Enders, The New York Review of Books, 26 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for gingerly
Adjective
He was seen walking gingerly with a slight limp at the end of practice coming out of the team’s facility … Backup left tackle James Hudson III fortunately returned to practice after leaving Wednesday’s with an apparent ailment.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025
For many of us, stemmed crystal sparkled under the dimmed light of a breakfront while a collection of coffee mugs were stacked gingerly on top of each other in a shuttered cabinet.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Adverb
Unlike the gingerly approach to easing restrictions targeting the spread of the virus, the country is split over reopening businesses and schools.
—Kendall Karson, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2021
All the while, amid the unpacking of groceries and food prep and reminiscing, the group addresses in gingerly fashion the subject of Rose’s cancer.
—Alexandra Enders, The New York Review of Books, 26 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for gingerly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gingerly
Adjective
-
Both coaches and players have been respectful of the other team all week, careful not to produce any bulletin board material.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ben Lewis Doherty, playing a boy named Sam whose life is upended by Robbie, is the show’s greatest innocent, a softhearted moppet who warns deer to be careful when crossing the street.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Flip patties and cook 1 minute; carefully place 2 tablespoons of the cheese on each patty, cover with a transparent lid and cook until cheese is melted and patties are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Crews are carefully scouring the landscape for any spot fires from that may occur.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Consumers who have already grown weary of the rising cost of living, such as higher utility bills, are also wary of potential price increases from higher tariffs, Furman said.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Researchers caution consumers to be wary of misleading advertising on cereal boxes and to check nutrition labels.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Trump has not formally announced a campaign for a third term, and any such effort would face immediate legal challenges.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Leni Riefenstahl, although briefly kept under house arrest by French occupation forces and tried four times by denazification courts, was never formally convicted of complicity in the crimes of the Nazis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The duo have been cautious in their classification, allowing for the possibility that a torus of material could be behind the observations.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
But being cautious doesn’t mean ignoring the risks.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
OnePay, created by Walmart in 2021 alongside venture firm Ribbit Capital, has methodically built out its offerings in a bid to become an American super app akin to overseas offerings like WeChat or Alipay.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
-
What’s striking about Prop Store’s work — at least to this civilian IndieWire staffer who has never won a live auction bid on eBay — is just how methodically each item is documented and vetted, even sometimes restored.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
China is tapping into the knowhow of its universities and private sector in efforts to integrate AI into national defense, and is doing so more systematically than the US, Georgetown University researchers found.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gingerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gingerly. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share