variants
also leary
as in wary
feeling or showing a lack of trust in someone or something
a leery attitude She seemed a little leery about the proposal. They were leery of their neighbors.
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Recent Examples of leery
Back in 2015, the Arab states of the Gulf region were leery of a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
Some top Pentagon officials were leery, however, of the optics of having troops defend Congress from Trump supporters.
—Ian Swanson, The Hill, 10 June 2025
Flush with promise: After decades of trying to court leery American consumers, high-tech Japanese toilet makers are finally seeing a shift.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The Republican governor has been leery of the more visually violent execution method.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025
Some top Pentagon officials were leery, however, of the optics of having troops defend Congress from Trump supporters.
—Ian Swanson, The Hill, 10 June 2025
Flush with promise: After decades of trying to court leery American consumers, high-tech Japanese toilet makers are finally seeing a shift.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The Republican governor has been leery of the more visually violent execution method.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leery
Adjective
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Be wary of anyone who claims to be an insurance specialist that is not from your insurance company or was not sent by your insurance company.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
13 July 2025
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Also be wary of landlords who are out of the country.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Teams tend to be especially cautious with injuries this time of year.—
Garrett Chorpenning,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
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With such long-term uncertainty, customers are rightly cautious about parting with their money.—
Jo Causon,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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That included 83% of Democrats but just 33% of Republicans, who tend to be more skeptical of climate change.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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Lee also points out North Korea's poor infrastructure and vulnerability to geopolitical fluctuations as reasons to be skeptical about its tourism ambitions.—
Se Eun Gong,
NPR,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leery. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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