Meaning & use
wary
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Careful and watchful because you suspect something may be dangerous, dishonest or likely to cause trouble.
Grammar: Usually follows be and is often followed by of: she is wary of strangers.
Patterns
- be wary of something
- be wary of doing something
- be wary about something
After being cheated once, he was wary of online sellers.
The deer stayed wary and kept its eyes on the trail.
I am wary about signing anything I have not read.
Word forms
| comparative | warier |
|---|---|
| superlative | wariest |
Common combinations
- wary of strangers
- Children are taught to be wary of strangers.
- a wary eye
- She kept a wary eye on the stormy sky.
- grow wary
- Investors grew wary as prices climbed.
- wary glance
- He gave the dog a wary glance before opening the gate.
- be wary of doing something
- Be wary of lending money to people you barely know.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cautious
- Cautious describes careful behavior in general, while wary adds a feeling of suspicion about a particular threat.
- suspicious
- Suspicious means you actually believe something is wrong, whereas wary only means you are on guard against the possibility.
- guarded
- Guarded usually describes how someone speaks or reveals feelings, while wary describes alertness to danger.
- leery
- Leery is more informal and conveys distrust, often of people, more strongly than wary does.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wary or weary?
wary vs weary
Weary means tired, and wary means cautious; they sound alike but have unrelated meanings.
Practice
After the scam, Lena became wary ___ unexpected phone calls.
Choose one answer.
Wary is followed by of (or sometimes about) to name the source of caution. To, with and from do not form the usual pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.