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
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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
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Just as essential a consideration as carefulness for committee members, though, is speed.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The park is urging any visitors to use caution while visiting as crews work to make repairs.—
Terra Sullivan,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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But some of the variances were relatively small, and far from evidence of excessive caution, slightly conservative forecasts like these are a best fiscal practice.—
Marc Joffe,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At one point, one of the moderators asked those in his care to stand up, and numerous people rose from their seatsto the sound of applause.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
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Another barrier to staying up to date on adult vaccines is that many people don't have health insurance, are underinsured, or don't receive regular care.—
Teresa Maalouf,
Verywell Health,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Austria retained possession of Venetia, and prudence dictated to the delegates at the Congress of Vienna that continued Austrian predominance in Italy should guarantee the peninsula against French influence.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
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The two big investments in their front seven — particularly Phillips’ whopping four-year, $120 million deal — also meant the Panthers would have to exercise financial prudence with their other additions, at least one of which was a head-scratcher.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Such an arrangement would fall out of step with China’s wariness towards military tie-ups.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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But there has been a lot of overlap, including respect for tradition and order, the importance of institutions, the rule of law, and the complexity of human society, along with a wariness of radical change.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Life without that kind of attentiveness?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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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 15 Apr. 2026.
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