chary
/ˈtʃɛːri
/adjective (charier, chariest)
Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something: she had been chary of telling the whole truth...
- Thereby proving the point that Mrs Hunt should be chary of not putting the work into her protagonist when she could in fact be missing out on the chance of giving voice to the distillation of contemporary gender politics for a generation.
- Progress now happens but even so I am chary of believing the guest property (nearest the camera) will be ready for our mid-September holiday.
- ‘Right after the article appeared, people that I know were very chary of saying anything about it to me,’ he says.
Synonyms
wary, cautious, circumspect, heedful, careful, on one's guard, guarded, mindful, watchful;
distrustful, mistrustful, doubtful, sceptical, suspicious, dubious, hesitant, reluctant, disinclined, loath, averse, shy, nervous, apprehensive, uneasy, afraid
informal leery, cagey, iffy, on one's toes
Derivatives
charily
/ adverb ...- Though Lelwica mostly holds Christianity in disfavor, in the end she invites readers to search out the possibilities within the tradition, charily specifying the points of greatest hope and least danger.
- ‘Hi,’ she said charily and raised her hand in a small wave.
- After a long, pregnant pause, she asked charily, ‘Can I… help you with something, my lord?’
Origin
Old English cearig 'sorrowful, anxious', of West Germanic origin; related to care. The current sense arose in the mid 16th century.