Chary

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɛɹi/

Definitions

1. Wary or cautious about something, unwilling to take risks or commit oneself easily
2. Prudently careful and hesitant to engage, showing reluctance to take chances or make commitments in uncertain situations
3. Exercising great caution and deliberation, one tends to avoid rash decisions or engagements due to a lack of trust

Etymology: Chary once meant "sorrowful" as often as "careful." Its Old English ancestor, "ċeariġ," could describe someone anxious, sad, or grieving, and it also carried the sense of being careful or wary. Over the Middle English centuries the sorrowful and anxious sense faded, and the wary sense remained, so the modern word describes someone who holds back out of caution. The word is built from "care" plus the suffix "-y," a common English pattern for turning a noun into an adjective, so "chary" literally means "full of care." Its roots reach back to Proto-Germanic "*karō," which also gave rise to words for something meagre or grudging. Related modern words include Swedish "karg," meaning austere or barren, and Danish "karrig," meaning miserly.

Synonyms: cautious, careful, wary

Antonyms: reckless, careless, hasty