cautious

adjective

cau·​tious ˈkȯ-shəs 

: careful about avoiding danger or risk

cautious investors

cautious optimism

cautiously adverb

cautiousness noun

Synonyms

• alert
• careful
• chary
• circumspect
• conservative
• considerate
• gingerly
• guarded
• heedful
• safe
• wary

Choose the Right Synonym for cautious

cautious, circumspect, wary, chary mean prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk.

cautious implies the exercise of forethought usually prompted by fear of danger.

a cautious driver

circumspect suggests less fear and stresses the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding.

circumspect in his business dealings

wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in watching for danger and cunning in escaping it.

keeps a wary eye on the competition

chary implies a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely.

chary of signing papers without having read them first

Examples of cautious in a Sentence

Any cautious tourist will guard her passport.

You cannot be overly cautious when you're driving in snow.

He answered the question with a cautious reply.

Recent Examples on the Web

With cautious consumers keen on protecting their investment in fine jewelry, services are an important way Signet provides customers confidence in their past and future purchases with the company. —Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

There’s hardly a single answer, some executives among the 1,200 fair exhibitors opined, as the market’s volatility makes predictions harder and a cautious approach mandatory, even if jewelry has been historically viewed as an investment asset. —Martino Carrera, WWD, 13 Sep. 2024

There were also some cautious decisions to punt on fourth down while in good field position and a curious choice to accept a penalty against Hawaii on third down rather than force a fourth down. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024

This cautious approach helped manage risks such as hallucinations — where the AI generates information that appears correct but is inaccurate. —Barbara Booth, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see caution entry 1

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cautious

• hyper-cautious

Kids Definition

cautious

adjective

cau·​tious ˈkȯ-shəs 

: marked by or given to caution

a cautious reply

cautiously adverb

cautiousness noun