Warily

adv

adv ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    In a careful and guarded manner, especially to avoid potential danger or harm.

    "She walked through the dark alley, warily glancing around to make sure she wasn't being followed."

  2. 2
    Without trust; in a manner showing a lack of trust.

    "He listened to the salesman's pitch warily, sensing a potential scam."

Adverb
  1. 1
    in a wary manner wordnet

Example

More examples

"The traveler stepped warily into the dark forest, listening for any sound of movement."

Etymology

From wary + -ly.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.