leary

1 of 2

adjective (1)

less common spelling of leery

: suspicious, wary
often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
variants or less commonly leary
: suspicious, wary
often used with of
leery of strangers
She seemed a little leery of the proposal.

Examples of leary in a Sentence

Adjective (2) They were leery of their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Farmers often have funding from investors who may be leary of putting money into less competitive forms of enterprise. John Werner, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Such a cap would require an act of Congress, and plenty of Republicans are leery of supporting it. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 May 2026 In the end, the legal team was leery of making the decision by itself, and solicited the help of the group of parent activists who had been advising it on strategy. Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for leary

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective (2)

1718, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leary was in 1718

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Cite this Entry

“Leary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leary. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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