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
-
This carefulness is clearly strategic.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
There was no carefulness in it.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
In the hours after the shootings, law enforcement officials and event organizers urged people not to attend planned rallies out of an abundance of caution, after No Kings flyers were found in Vance Boelter's vehicle.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Stock markets surged and oil prices plummeted after Washington and Tehran reached a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though analysts voiced caution over the agreement’s prospects.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
He was evacuated to a hospital in Berlin to receive care on May 20 and was discharged on June 6, according to Serge.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
For many historians, Pennhurst serves as a reminder of how society once approached disability care and how those systems often failed the people they were intended to help.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
This raised interest rates to punishing levels just as fiscal prudence was being tossed aside.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
-
Strength and prudence are not the same thing.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Maintain its wariness of people by throwing a small object at it, making a loud noise or spraying it with a hose.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
-
But the hope and awe turn to wariness as Pa and Laura meet Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother) and his daughter Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts) by the creek, and though the Ingalls are friendly, the Osage Native Americans hesitate to engage.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
That attentiveness has allowed the family to build meaningful connections with both children, despite the challenges that come with their condition.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
-
As for Cameron, his character development is measured by his increasing attentiveness to janitorial duties.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
There used to be a cautiousness in rolling out new technology.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
-
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
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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 19 Jun. 2026.
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