variants
also cagy
1
as in slick
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of cagey
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
The Schuyler sisters provide the most beautiful voices in the production, with Krystal Joy Brown offering a poignant Eliza, and Mandy Gonzalez a smart and cagey Angelica.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Feb. 2020
Cote and Mark were pretty cagey when asked if Michael will be back.
—Megan Stein, Country Living, 7 Jan. 2020
Quarterback Drew Lock looked like a cagey veteran and not a first-time NFL road starter, completing 22 of his 27 attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
—Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 8 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for cagey
David Jackson, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2020
The Schuyler sisters provide the most beautiful voices in the production, with Krystal Joy Brown offering a poignant Eliza, and Mandy Gonzalez a smart and cagey Angelica.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Feb. 2020
Cote and Mark were pretty cagey when asked if Michael will be back.
—Megan Stein, Country Living, 7 Jan. 2020
Quarterback Drew Lock looked like a cagey veteran and not a first-time NFL road starter, completing 22 of his 27 attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
—Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 8 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cagey
Adjective
-
The outfit was completed by a white undershirt, a pair of mesh tights, a few silver tone necklaces, and a slick pair of H&M leather knee-high boots.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Elisabeth does not know that the Substance will open up a massive tear in her back from which a nude, slick Margaret Qualley emerges.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans remain hesitant to support any sort of tax increases, and the General Assembly is focused on Hurricane Helene disaster recovery and crafting a budget.—
Alexandria Sands,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
-
For those still feeling hesitant, beginning a hobby in the privacy of your home can help ease discomfort.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Reading it, one is reminded, once again, that Trump is a politician who is cunning but semiliterate and ignorant.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Sign up The abusive couple were cunning, said Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph.—
The Week UK,
theweek,
21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Here is another gloomy spaceship, abounding in grim experiments and hostile personalities, with Pattinson once more playing a reluctant space traveller.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
-
At nearly every turn, he’s been able to get away with it, often with the reluctant acquiescence of Western leaders, from George W. Bush to Angela Merkel, who looked away from his misdeeds for the sake of diplomatic comity.—
Bret Stephens,
The Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Pair the bottoms with a cute bodysuit or match the top with skirts or shorts, and you're left with multiple outfits in one.—
Jennifer Vermeer,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Feb. 2025
-
And the town of Brenham is filled with cute boutiques and restaurants.—
Cynthia Drake,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
During that time, Trump, with the help of Elon Musk’s legally dubious DOGE task force, has ransacked the federal civil service in search of any programs that hint at diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
-
But producer Henning Kamm of Real Film Berlin, who is behind TV projects such as Unorthodox and upcoming Berlin ER, is dubious.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Two wily cousins take on the mob while also running around a giant film set?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Out on the wily, windy moors—or, just the snowy Berlinale International Film Festival—Jacob Elordi has debuted another hair transformation.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of a Letter by Diana Athill Before her death at 101, Diana Athill—the formidably shrewd editor of Philip Roth, Simone de Beauvoir, V. S. Naipaul, and more—had written no fewer than nine memoirs.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2025
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Our government with three separate but co-equal branches exists precisely to prevent this kind of anarchy operating under a thin veneer of fiscal responsibility and shrewd cost-cutting.—
Brian Schatz,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cagey. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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