variants
or less commonly leary
: suspicious, wary
—often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
Examples of leery in a Sentence
They were leery of their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, Trump must reassure voters leery of putting him back in the Oval Office.
—
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 18 May 2024
But there’s one thing to be leery of, and it’s called desperation.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery 
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 18 May 2024
But there’s one thing to be leery of, and it’s called desperation.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for leery
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leery
Cite this Entry
“Leery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leery. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leery
adjective
: suspicious sense 2, wary
leery of strangers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share