warier; wariest
: marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
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
Egypt is wary of the Muslim Brotherhood in which Hamas has its roots and has been fighting militant insurgents in the Sinai Peninsula, which neighbors Gaza.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Cuban compared people who are wary of adopting AI tools in the workplace to those who were once afraid to embrace PCs and mobile devices.
—Tom Huddleston Jr.,megan Sauer, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
The Commodity Futures Trade Commission has also previously warned people to be wary of investing in gold.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The agency recommended students extensively research their destinations ahead of time, avoid dangerous areas, save U.S. embassy contact details on their phones, and be wary of using dating apps abroad, among other suggestions.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Cuban compared people who are wary of adopting AI tools in the workplace to those who were once afraid to embrace PCs and mobile devices.
—Tom Huddleston Jr.,megan Sauer, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
The Commodity Futures Trade Commission has also previously warned people to be wary of investing in gold.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The agency recommended students extensively research their destinations ahead of time, avoid dangerous areas, save U.S. embassy contact details on their phones, and be wary of using dating apps abroad, among other suggestions.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wary
Articles Related to wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 19 Mar. 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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