leery

leer·y (lîr

)

adj. leer·i·er, leer·i·est

Suspicious or distrustful; wary: was leery of aggressive salespeople.

leeri·ly adv.

leeri·ness n.

leery, leary [ˈlɪərɪ]

adj leerier, leeriest, learier leariest

1. Now chiefly dialect knowing or sly

2. Slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary

3. Slang rowdy or boisterous

[perhaps from obsolete sense (to look askance) of leer]

leeriness , leariness n

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Adj.

leery - openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

mistrustful, suspicious, untrusting, wary

distrustful - having or showing distrust; "a man of distrustful nature"; "my experience...in other fields of law has made me distrustful of rules of thumb generally"- B.N.Cardozo; "vigilant and distrustful superintendence"- Thomas Jefferson

leery

adjective (Slang) wary, cautious, uncertain, suspicious, doubting, careful, shy, sceptical, dubious, unsure, distrustful, on your guard, chary They are leery of the proposed system.

Translations

leery [ˈlɪərɪ] ADJ (= cautious) → cauteloso; (= suspicious) → receloso
to be leery of sth/sb → recelar de algo/algn

leery

adj (inf) → misstrauisch; I’m a bit leery of him → ich traue ihm nicht so recht

leery [ˈlɪərɪ] adj to be leery of (fam) → essere sospettoso/a di

Mentioned in	?		References in classic literature	?		Dictionary browser	?		Full browser	?
chary distrustful doubtful dubious guarded lairy mistrustful suspicious untrusting wary	Well, William had to turn about and play on, willy-nilly; and 'twas only three o'clock in the world, and 'a knowed that nobody would come that way for hours, and he so leery and tired that 'a didn't know what to do. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - A Pure Woman by Hardy, Thomas View in context Yonder are the Misses Leery, who are looking out for the young officers of the Heavies, who are pretty sure to be pacing the cliff; or again it is a City man, with a nautical turn, and a telescope, the size of a six-pounder, who has his instrument pointed seawards, so as to command every pleasure-boat, herring-boat, or bathing-machine that comes to, or quits, the shore, &c. Vanity Fair by Thackeray, William Makepeace View in context He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm. The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack View in context	Lee Yuen Kam Lee's Birthday Lee's Summit Leeangle leeboard leech Leech line leech onto Leech rope leechcraft leechdom leechee leechlike Leed Leeds Leeds Castle Leef leek Leeme Leep leer Leere Leere side leering Leeringly leery lees Leese leet Leet ale Leetman Leeuwarden Leeuwenhoek Leeuwenhoek Anton van leeward Leeward Islands Leeward Isles leeward side leeward tide leeway Lefkosa leflunomide lefse left left (or right) left (right) bank left atrioventricular valve left atrium left atrium of the heart Left Bank Left bank of a river	Leere Leere Leere side leered leered leered LEERIC leerier leerier leeriest leeriest leerily leerily leeriness leeriness leering leering leering leeringly leeringly leeringly Leerlingen Op Het Web LEERM LEERN Leero viol Leero viol Leerplichtige Leerlingen Zonder Onderwijs leers leers leers leery lees lees lees lees Lees screen Lees, Benjamin Lees-McRae College Leesburg Leesburg Leesburg Downtown Business Association Leesburg Football Club Leesburg Police Department Leesburg Regional Medical Center Leesburg Sterling Family Practice Leese Leese, Oliver William Hargreaves Leeser, Isaac Leeser, Isaac Leeson Digital Designs Leeson disk Leeson, Nick Leeson, Nick LEESSA Leestma, David Cornell Leesville Leesville complex Leesville Road Middle School Leesville Urban Group Leesylvania State Park Leet

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chary
distrustful
doubtful
dubious
guarded
lairy
mistrustful
suspicious
untrusting
wary

Well, William had to turn about and play on, willy-nilly; and 'twas only three o'clock in the world, and 'a knowed that nobody would come that way for hours, and he so leery and tired that 'a didn't know what to do.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles - A Pure Woman by Hardy, Thomas View in context

Yonder are the Misses Leery, who are looking out for the young officers of the Heavies, who are pretty sure to be pacing the cliff; or again it is a City man, with a nautical turn, and a telescope, the size of a six-pounder, who has his instrument pointed seawards, so as to command every pleasure-boat, herring-boat, or bathing-machine that comes to, or quits, the shore, &c.

Vanity Fair by Thackeray, William Makepeace View in context

He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm.

The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack View in context

leery playV2('en/US/st/std7dsdysds3hr');playV2('en/UK/st/std7dsdysds3hr')

leery