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
Be wary of using manipulation tactics to keep someone close as Venus clashes with Pluto.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Beijing would also be acutely wary of any agreement that would require it to monitor and punish ceasefire violations – especially one that could potentially pull it into conflict with the US.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
The Pentagon’s firing of two dozen admirals and generals over the past year has made some wary of challenging the president’s ambitions.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Oracle has benefited from the AI boom but investors have been wary about how much the company is spending.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
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Usa Today, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Beijing would also be acutely wary of any agreement that would require it to monitor and punish ceasefire violations – especially one that could potentially pull it into conflict with the US.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
The Pentagon’s firing of two dozen admirals and generals over the past year has made some wary of challenging the president’s ambitions.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Oracle has benefited from the AI boom but investors have been wary about how much the company is spending.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wary
Cite this Entry
“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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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