wary

adjective

ˈwer-ē 

warier; wariest

: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger

warily

ˈwer-ə-lē 

adverb

wariness

ˈwer-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for wary

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 wary in a Sentence

Great critics are sometimes wary of great authors. Eliot and Pound usually sidled past Shakespeare. —William Logan, New York Times Book Review, 11 Feb. 2001

Though sycamore wood was much used, pioneers were wary of the tree's fuzzy leaves, which they believed brought allergies and even consumption. —Arthur Plotnik, The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town, 2000

Modern literary novelists … wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved. —David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992

The store owner kept a wary eye on him.

Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.

Recent Examples on the Web

Because generative AI was used to create the phishing message itself, the email had no misspellings, the grammar was perfectly acceptable and, coming from the director’s genuine email account, left no obvious reason why the recipient would be wary of authenticity. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Among other suggestions, prosecutors say, victims should be wary of people who try to move conversations to encrypted instant messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Signal and others. —Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

So, be wary of any requests for payment in advance. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024

Nonprofits have long struggled to provide services in Short Creek, where polygamous families are taught to be wary of outsiders. —Erin Alberty, Axios, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

ware entry 2 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wary

adjective

ˈwa(ə)r-ē 

ˈwe(ə)r-

warier; wariest

: very cautious

especially : being on guard against danger or trickery

wary of strangers

warily

ˈwar-ə-lē

ˈwer-

adverb

wariness

ˈwar-ē-nəs

ˈwer-

noun