as in carefulness
a close attentiveness to avoiding danger
you should have shown a little more guardedness about sharing personal information with someone you just met online
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Recent Examples of guardedness
What stayed with the character was that guardedness, that way of seeing the world, the mistrust.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Thankfully, her guardedness with the public hasn’t prevented her from being warm and open in person.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Nov. 2025
Making guardedness and affable self-deprecation part of her identity, Keaton was known for wearing turtlenecks, gloves, and hats that kept her largely covered up, saving emotional vulnerability for her performances.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2025
At this point, arguments become a predictable mix of hostility, guardedness and mockery.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Thankfully, her guardedness with the public hasn’t prevented her from being warm and open in person.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Nov. 2025
Making guardedness and affable self-deprecation part of her identity, Keaton was known for wearing turtlenecks, gloves, and hats that kept her largely covered up, saving emotional vulnerability for her performances.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2025
At this point, arguments become a predictable mix of hostility, guardedness and mockery.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guardedness
Noun
-
Organizations can benefit by valuing carefulness and concentration not as an obligation, but as a fundamental pillar of success.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Just as essential a consideration as carefulness for committee members, though, is speed.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Austria 's health minister told parents, kindergartens and day care centers to use utmost caution when feeding young children HiPP.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Austria’s health minister told parents, kindergartens and day care centers to use utmost caution when feeding young children HiPP.—
Karel Janicek,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Beets and garlic have similar care requirements, so keeping them together in the garden is not only easy but sensible.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But Farrell insists that the fees reflect care and determination.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By all accounts, being a milquetoast is a sort of vice—cowardice masquerading as prudence.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
China by contrast is beginning to look like a model of prudence and responsibility.—
Anatol Lieven,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of that wariness, though, was paired with reasonable optimism.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
But right now, many foreign acts also feel fear — or at least wariness — about booking substantial tours in the United States.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The customer claimed the service lacked attentiveness throughout the evening — and that the staff failed to explain elements of the dining experience.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Life without that kind of attentiveness?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There used to be a cautiousness in rolling out new technology.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
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One key reason for his cautiousness is the financial burden.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His quiet tone is not shyness or false modesty but circumspection and a sense of boundaries that imply respect and love for real communication.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
This circumspection was by design.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guardedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guardedness. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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