wary

«wary» in Mova's school dictionary: Careful and a little worried because something might be… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (wary, warier, wariest)

meaning for a pupil

1) Careful and a little worried because something might be dangerous or tricky. tree →

2) Not quick to trust someone or something: «wary of strangers». tree →

3) Watchful, keeping an eye out for trouble. tree →

sense in the lessons

In safety lessons, being wary is good: be wary of strangers online, of deep water, of emails that ask for passwords. In stories a wary character watches, waits and does not trust easily; a wary animal stays alert to danger. Phrases: «be wary of», «keep a wary eye on», «wary look».

examples

• The cat was wary of the new dog and stayed on the shelf. tree →
• Be wary of emails that ask for your password. tree →
• The deer gave us a wary look and ran into the trees. tree →
• Mum is wary of buying things from pop-up adverts. tree →
• I was a bit wary of the big slide at first. tree →
• The lifeguard kept a wary eye on the swimmers near the rocks. tree →
• Pupils should be wary of websites that promise free prizes. tree →
• "Be wary," said the king, "there are men within the stable, let us get at them somehow." tree →

note

Do not confuse «wary» (careful, suspicious) with «weary» (very tired) or «wear». «Wary of» something, not «wary from». Opposites: trusting, careless. Noun: wariness; adverb: warily.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «wary» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.