leery

UK /ˈlɪəɹi/ US /ˈlɪəɹi/

adj 3

Definitions

adj

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.

“[…]He was one of their top gun-fighters—always up to his ears in the thick of any fightin' that was goin' on. He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm.”

Sly; artful; knowing.

Leering; lecherous or unpleasant.

And there was a particularly brutal villain with leery eyes, ugly mouth, with one tooth gone, and an iron jaw like a hull-dog's.

Collocations

ADJ.

old, pretty

LEERY + NOUN

animals, anything, outsiders, people

PREP.

along, on

ADV.

always, often, such

Thesaurus

Synonyms

adjective — openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

Since he was bitten by a dog when he was young, he has always been leery of animals.

Wiktionary

“[…]He was one of their top gun-fighters—always up to his ears in the thick of any fightin' that was goin' on. He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm.”

Wiktionary

“He's so darn afraid you'll be offended if he smokes. You scare him. Every time he speaks of the weather you jump him because he ain't talking about poetry or Gertie—Goethe?—or some other highbrow jun

Wiktionary

Be leery of those who claim someone is non compos mentis and let rationale be your judge.

Tatoeba · #4586610

I'm always leery of such people.

Tatoeba · #10033316

I'd be pretty leery of walking along the docks at night.

Tatoeba · #13172126

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, leery is marked as obsolete, slang, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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