Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective wary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wary are cautious, chary, and circumspect. While all these words mean "prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk," wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in watching for danger and cunning in escaping it.

keeps a wary eye on the competition

When would cautious be a good substitute for wary?

The meanings of cautious and wary largely overlap; however, cautious implies the exercise of forethought usually prompted by fear of danger.

a cautious driver

When might chary be a better fit than wary?

While in some cases nearly identical to wary, chary implies a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely.

chary of signing papers without having read them first

In what contexts can circumspect take the place of wary?

In some situations, the words circumspect and wary are roughly equivalent. However, circumspect suggests less fear and stresses the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding.

circumspect in his business dealings

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 wary The tallest, a girl in a ruffled skirt, is warier. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025 May the Dodgers now be wary—Friday night was not a fluke. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 25 Oct. 2025 But Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 address featured in Ontario's ad spelling out the case against tariffs. NPR, 25 Oct. 2025 But Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 address featured in Ontario’s ad spelling out the case against tariffs. Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wary
Adjective
  • To be sure, Wall Street overall is bullish on stocks, with many of the big firms ditching their cautious tones and urging investors not to bet against the market.
    Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Today, she is classified as having No Evidence of Disease (NED), meaning all detectable signs and symptoms of cancer are gone, a hopeful yet cautious place.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This careful tiptoeing is probably because the scissor artwork was never meant to be sold at a wider scale.
    Samantha Allen, Them., 24 Oct. 2025
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Ever alert to danger and vulnerability, Birdie and her shy, anxious friend Moses (Sky Yang) quietly sneak off to take part in protests against the regime.
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
  • After weeks of erratic readings, Lewis reverted to the older G6 model and raised $25,000 on TikTok (@typeonederfulwells) to purchase a diabetes-alert service dog.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wary. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wary

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