chary
Careful, cautious, shy, waryCareful, cautious, shy, wary.
» He is chary of offending people.
Meaning
4 sensesCareful, cautious, shy, wary.
vorsichtig
Excessively particular or fussy about details; fastidious.
Not disposed to give freely; not lavish; frugal, sparing.
(obsolete)Cared for, regarded as precious; cherished.
- characterized by great caution and wariness
Examples
2 sentencesHe is chary of offending people.
The chariest maid is prodigal enough if she unmask her beauty to the moon.
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English chari, charre, charri, chary, Early Middle English cearig, chariȝ (“coFrom Middle English chari, charre, charri, chary, Early Middle English cearig, chariȝ (“concerned with, diligent; sad, sorrowful; of a person: cherished, loved”), from Old English ċeariġ (“careful; pensive; chary, wary; anxious, sad, sorrowful; dire, grievous”), from Proto-West Germanic *karag (“anxious; sad”), from Proto-Germanic *karō + *-gaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“exclamation; voice”) + *-kos (suffix forming adjectives with the meaning ‘pertaining to; typical of’)); analysable as care + -y.
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Forms
charier, chariestSynonyms
30 synonymsAntonyms
21 antonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form