Warily Meaning
/wˈɛrəli/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
advIn a careful and guarded manner, especially to avoid potential danger or harm.
advWithout trust; in a manner showing a lack of trust.
Sentence Examples
Tom eyed the stranger warily.
The traveler stepped warily into the dark forest, listening for any sound of movement.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scout walked ____ through the dark forest, listening for danger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cat approached the new toy ____, unsure if it was something that it should be afraid of earlier today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English wary Middle English -ly English -ly English warily From wary + -ly.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"That her little Tarzan could destroy a great bull gorilla she knew to be improbable, and so, as she neared the spot from which the sounds of the struggle had come, she moved more warily and at last slowly and with extreme caution she traversed the lowest branches, peering eagerly into the moon- splashed blackness for a sign of the combatants."
— 1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 6, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC:
"The new king is viewed warily by Bangkok's elites, who have sometimes worried that he sympathises with populist politicians whom the army has twice kicked from power."
— 2017 January 14, “Thailand's new king rejects the army's proposed constitution”, in The Economist:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scout walked ____ through the dark forest, listening for danger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cat approached the new toy ____, unsure if it was something that it should be afraid of earlier today.