Synonyms for leary
- adjective
Most common
careful suspicious wary distrustful mistrustful untrusting leerish
Definitions
- adj. 1
Cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns.
Since he was bitten by a dog when he was young, he has always been leery of animals.
Related words
- Other spellings
- leery
Example sentences
- careful You should be careful in crossing the busy street.
- suspicious A policeman was gazing at a suspicious pedestrian.
- wary My parents always told me to be wary of strangers.
- distrustful I was distrustful of his motives.
- mistrustful I'm not mistrustful; I'm simply cautious.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| leary | falling | |
| careful | steady | |
| suspicious | rising | |
| wary | rising | |
| distrustful | rising | |
| mistrustful | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- wary2
- 7 letters
- careful2, leerish
- 10 letters
- suspicious3, untrusting
- 11 letters
- distrustful3, mistrustful3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wary2 = 2 syllables).