variants
or less commonly leary
: suspicious, wary
—often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
Examples of leery in a Sentence
They were leery of their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Other fast-food restaurant chains including McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell, also took part in the value meal wars this year in an effort to retain and attract customers leery of rising prices, USA TODAY previously reported.
—
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024
But anyone going into Tuesday’s show leery of a campaign-style night loaded with partisan pronouncements could have rested easy.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 23 Oct. 2024
But given the rebuilding nature of this season and a tight salary-cap situation, the team was leery of spending too much on a soon-to-be 34-year-old corner.
—Joseph Person, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
And the department’s career officials are, like others throughout the federal government, leery of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to gut the federal workforce.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery 
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Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024
But anyone going into Tuesday’s show leery of a campaign-style night loaded with partisan pronouncements could have rested easy.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 23 Oct. 2024
But given the rebuilding nature of this season and a tight salary-cap situation, the team was leery of spending too much on a soon-to-be 34-year-old corner.
—Joseph Person, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024
And the department’s career officials are, like others throughout the federal government, leery of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to gut the federal workforce.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery
Dictionary Entries Near leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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