variants
or less commonly leary
: suspicious, wary
—often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
Examples of leery in a Sentence
They were leery of their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Many farmers are also leery of solar, worrying that agrivoltaics could take working farmland out of use, affect their current operations or deteriorate soils.
—
Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
At the same time, Lohner was going to have a bunch of free agent suitors if he didn’t get drafted, which could well make the Broncos leery of trying to get him through waivers to the practice squad at the end of August.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has not had a direct impact on global freight yet, but shipping companies are growing leery of traversing through the Strait of Hormuz, the channel that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 17 June 2025
This mostly unwarranted fear can lead to persecution by locals—one reason that many experts on harpy eagles are leery of speaking about this issue.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
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Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
At the same time, Lohner was going to have a bunch of free agent suitors if he didn’t get drafted, which could well make the Broncos leery of trying to get him through waivers to the practice squad at the end of August.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has not had a direct impact on global freight yet, but shipping companies are growing leery of traversing through the Strait of Hormuz, the channel that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 17 June 2025
This mostly unwarranted fear can lead to persecution by locals—one reason that many experts on harpy eagles are leery of speaking about this issue.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
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