wary

adjective

ˈwer-ē How to pronounce wary (audio)
Definition of warynext
as in cautious
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble kept a wary eye out for signs of the enemy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective wary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of wary are cautious, chary, and circumspect. While all these words mean "prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk," wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in watching for danger and cunning in escaping it.

keeps a wary eye on the competition

When would cautious be a good substitute for wary?

The meanings of cautious and wary largely overlap; however, cautious implies the exercise of forethought usually prompted by fear of danger.

a cautious driver

When might chary be a better fit than wary?

While in some cases nearly identical to wary, chary implies a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely.

chary of signing papers without having read them first

In what contexts can circumspect take the place of wary?

In some situations, the words circumspect and wary are roughly equivalent. However, circumspect suggests less fear and stresses the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding.

circumspect in his business dealings

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wary Be wary of the temptation to skip steps along the way or assume people will just get it. —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026 My character was this character everybody was a little wary of. —Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026 Investors should be wary given the bearish technical catalysts in former leaders like TSM and signs of long-term upside exhaustion across the sector. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026 Be wary of those who push for your cash without offering sufficient collateral or payback plans. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wary
  1. cautious
  2. careful
  3. alert
Adjective
  • Be cautious of calls or emails claiming to be from your bank asking for verification or urgent action.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Be cautious — but don’t write off rattlesnakes as vicious, the experts say.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • Orion is a tight space for four people to navigate, so the crew members have a careful choreography to maximize the data the astronauts can gather.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Anyone hoping on the CTA knows to be alert, but over the weekend, one passenger on the train left passengers, not to mention those driving along the Dan Ryan, stunned.
    — Jermont Terry, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
  • AccuWeather warns that residents across the risk zone should stay alert for shifting forecasts, watches and warnings as conditions evolve.
    — Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of alert

Browse Nearby Words

war (with)
wary
was
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Cite this Entry

“Wary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wary. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wary

Nglish: Translation of wary for Spanish Speakers

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