Wary

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈwɛə.ɹi/

Definitions

1. Cautious and alert to possible dangers or problems, showing careful watchfulness before trusting or acting
2. Feeling or showing caution and reluctance, particularly in avoiding potential risks or unfavorable outcomes in interactions or decisions
3. Exhibiting a mindset of careful vigilance and skepticism to prevent unforeseen troubles or negative repercussions

Etymology: Wary sounds like a simple descriptive adjective, but its ancestor was a curse. Old English "wierġan" meant "to curse" or "do evil," and it descended from a Proto-Germanic verb meaning "to condemn," built on a root that gave a word for "criminal." Middle English "warien" carried that sense of cursing and denouncing, and only later did the idea shift toward guarding oneself against such harm. From that verb came the adjective through a simple process: the word "ware," meaning "aware" or "on guard," took the suffix "-y" to produce "wary," someone who keeps watch. The shift from condemning another person to watching out for danger is a move from the speaker's action toward the listener's protection. The word "warry" is a doublet of "wary," meaning the two forms arose from the same source but developed separately in English.

Synonyms: cautious, careful, vigilant, alert, circumspect

Antonyms: trustful, naive, careless, reckless, unwary