Meaning & use
cautionary
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Giving a warning about a danger or a mistake so that people will act more carefully.
Grammar: Almost always comes before a noun: a cautionary tale, not the story is cautionary.
Patterns
- a cautionary tale
- a cautionary note
The scandal is a cautionary tale about trusting strangers online.
The doctor added a cautionary note about the side effects.
Her story serves as a cautionary example for other young investors.
Common combinations
- cautionary tale
- His bankruptcy became a cautionary tale for the whole town.
- cautionary note
- I would add one cautionary note about the dates.
- cautionary advice
- The coach gave some cautionary advice before the match.
- cautionary example
- The collapse of the company is a cautionary example.
- cautionary sign
- A cautionary sign warned of a slippery floor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- warning
- Warning is the plain everyday adjective and noun, while cautionary is more formal and often applies to stories and examples.
- admonitory
- Admonitory is rarer and suggests a stern telling-off, whereas cautionary suggests gentler advice to take care.
- precautionary
- Precautionary describes steps taken in advance to avoid harm, but cautionary describes a message that warns.
Word family
- caution noun
- care taken to avoid danger
- caution verb
- to warn someone about a risk
- cautious adjective
- careful to avoid risk
- cautiously adverb
- in a careful way
Commonly confused: cautionary or precautionary?
cautionary vs precautionary
Precautionary describes actions taken to prevent trouble, such as a precautionary evacuation. Cautionary describes a message or story that warns.
Practice
Which phrase best completes: The documentary is a ____ tale about online scams.
Choose one answer.
Cautionary is the adjective used before tale to mean warning. Cautious describes a careful person, caution is a noun, and cautiously is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cautionary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.