wary

[wair-ee] /ˈwɛər i/

adjective, warier, wariest.

watchful; being on one's guard against danger.

arising from or characterized by caution:

to give someone a wary look.

Origin

1545-55; ware² + -y¹

Related forms

warily, adverb

wariness, noun

overwary, adjective

Can be confused

wary, weary, leery.

Synonyms

1. alert, vigilant, guarded, circumspect, prudent. See careful.

Examples from the web for wary

Medical colleges should be careful what they ask for as should residents should be wary.
Zebras must be constantly wary of lions and hyenas.
Yet for all that has gone so perfectly, he is wary of what can go wrong.
You had to be wary when you traveled, I realized, but you also had to be open.
The mood is cheerful but wary.
Employers are wary of hiring him.
Happy is he who is made wary by others' perils.
Home sellers pull out all the stops to attract wary buyers.
It loves a good drink of water- but she is wary to bloom as neighboring plants shade out the sunshine.
We drove without stopping, slumped low in our seats, wary of being recognized as foreigners.

British Dictionary definitions for wary

wary

/ˈwɛərɪ/

adjective warier, wariest

watchful, cautious, or alert

characterized by caution or watchfulness

Derived Forms

warily, adverb
wariness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from ware² + -y1

Word Origin and History for wary

adj.

1550s, from Old English wær "prudent, aware, alert, wary," from Proto-Germanic *waraz (cf. Old Norse varr "attentive," Gothic wars "cautious," Old Saxon giwar, Middle Dutch gheware, Old High German giwar, German gewahr "aware"), from PIE root *wer- "to cover" (see weir). Related: Warily; wariness.