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

This can lead to overly cautious investment choices and missed opportunities for growth. —Bruce Helmer, Twin Cities, 10 May 2025

Please be cautious in entering personal information as seedlings for your romance stories. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Due to concerns of harming the fetus, many are cautious about using treatments or medications that may have brought them relief before pregnancy.5 However, there are allergy medications that are routinely recommended for use in pregnancy to treat certain symptoms. —Corinne Savides Happel, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025

His mouth is as close as a mouth can come to a sideways question mark, punctuated by a cautious smile line. —Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see caution entry 1

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cautious

• hyper-cautious

Rhymes for cautious

• incautious
• monoecious
• nauseous

Kids Definition

cautious

adjective

cau·​tious ˈkȯ-shəs 

: marked by or given to caution

a cautious reply

cautiously adverb

cautiousness noun