warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Synonyms
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.
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
Catch up quick: Insurance companies have become increasingly wary about their risk exposure after suffering major losses in recent years due to a spate of destructive wildfires that wiped out a decade worth of profits.
—Nadia Lopez, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
Residents were cautioned be wary of broken glass or other debris.
—Anthony Trotter, ABC News, 13 Jan. 2025
Fox has been wary of SVOD, some industry players noted.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2025
Those affected by a disaster should be wary of people reaching purporting to be able to help, Steinhauer said.
—Felecia Wellington Radel, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wary 
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Nadia Lopez, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
Residents were cautioned be wary of broken glass or other debris.
—Anthony Trotter, ABC News, 13 Jan. 2025
Fox has been wary of SVOD, some industry players noted.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2025
Those affected by a disaster should be wary of people reaching purporting to be able to help, Steinhauer said.
—Felecia Wellington Radel, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wary
Articles Related to wary
Dictionary Entries Near wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
adverb
ˈwar-ə-lē
ˈwer-
wariness
noun
ˈwar-ē-nəs
ˈwer-
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