warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Examples of wary in a Sentence
Great critics are sometimes wary of great authors. Eliot and Pound usually sidled past Shakespeare.
—
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001
Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption.
—Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000
Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
—David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web
The moody Moon and wary Chiron trine across your talkative 3rd house and your convivial 11th house, guiding your explanations of complex issues.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2026
Now, Iranians are likely to be wary about taking to the streets again because the Revolutionary Guard has demonstrated its ruthlessness, said Kamran Matin, an expert on Iran at the University of Sussex in southern England.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
African wildcats didn’t evolve around water and probably would be just as wary of a bathtub as our domestic kitties.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
The shift reflects broader uncertainty on Wall Street over the AI boom as some investors remain wary of how artificial intelligence could disrupt existing business models — and whether massive spending on data centers will generate meaningful returns.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2026
Now, Iranians are likely to be wary about taking to the streets again because the Revolutionary Guard has demonstrated its ruthlessness, said Kamran Matin, an expert on Iran at the University of Sussex in southern England.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
African wildcats didn’t evolve around water and probably would be just as wary of a bathtub as our domestic kitties.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2026
The shift reflects broader uncertainty on Wall Street over the AI boom as some investors remain wary of how artificial intelligence could disrupt existing business models — and whether massive spending on data centers will generate meaningful returns.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wary
adjective
ˈwa(ə)r-ē 
ˈwe(ə)r-
warier; wariest
: very cautious
especially
: being on guard against danger or trickery
wary of strangers
warily
adverb
ˈwar-ə-lē,
ˈwer-
wariness
noun
ˈwar-ē-nəs,
ˈwer-
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