variants
or less commonly cagy
cagier; cagiest
1
: hesitant about committing oneself
officials are cagey about giving out details
2
a
: wary of being trapped or deceived : shrewd
a cagey consumer
b
: marked by cleverness
a cagey reply
Synonyms
Examples of cagey in a Sentence
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Recent Examples on the Web
The second half was a much cagier affair, with the best chance falling to Pulisic in the 68th minute, only for his low effort to be parried away by Brazil’s goalkeeper Allison.
—
Ben Morse, CNN, 13 June 2024
One big change is that interest rates are higher, which makes large purchases more expensive to finance, and makes buyers cagier about purchasing anything, new cars included.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
DeSantis has been extremely cagey when asked direct questions about his vaccination status.
—Chris Cillizza, CNN, 5 Jan. 2022
Biden and Clyburn have been longtime friends, but Clyburn stayed cagey in the days leading up to his endorsement announcement.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for cagey 
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.
Ben Morse, CNN, 13 June 2024
One big change is that interest rates are higher, which makes large purchases more expensive to finance, and makes buyers cagier about purchasing anything, new cars included.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
DeSantis has been extremely cagey when asked direct questions about his vaccination status.
—Chris Cillizza, CNN, 5 Jan. 2022
Biden and Clyburn have been longtime friends, but Clyburn stayed cagey in the days leading up to his endorsement announcement.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for cagey
Dictionary Entries Near cagey
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cagey. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share