leery


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
Related to leery: surreptitiously, earnestly, hapless

leer·y

 (lîr′ē)
adj. leer·i·er, leer·i·est
Suspicious or distrustful; wary: was leery of aggressive salespeople.

leer′i·ly adv.
leer′i·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

leery

(ˈlɪərɪ) or

leary

adj, leerier, leeriest, learier or leariest
1. chiefly dialect knowing or sly
2. slang (foll by of) suspicious or wary
3. slang rowdy or boisterous
[C18: perhaps from obsolete sense (to look askance) of leer]
ˈleeriness, ˈleariness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

leer•y

(ˈlɪər i)

adj. leer•i•er, leer•i•est.
1. wary; suspicious (usu. fol. by of): I'm leery of his financial advice.
2. Archaic. knowing; alert.
[1790–1800]
leer′i•ly, adv.
leer′i•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.leery - openly distrustful and unwilling to confideleery - openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
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
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

leery

adjective
Lacking trust or confidence:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

leery

[ˈlɪərɪ] ADJ (= cautious) → cauteloso; (= suspicious) → receloso
to be leery of sth/sbrecelar de algo/algn
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

leery

adj (inf)misstrauisch; I’m a bit leery of himich traue ihm nicht so recht
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

leery

[ˈlɪərɪ] adj to be leery of (fam) → essere sospettoso/a di
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
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.
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., &c.
He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm."
They are able to change how they feel about their victims, themselves, and the world around them." When asked what it takes to volunteer, Diane says she's leery of those who say they want to "give them a chance." She shares a quote from aboriginal elder Lilla Watson: "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.
The All Animal Expo Sunday at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton gave kids a chance to cozy up to beloved puppies and more exotic pets of which that they may be a little more leery.
I have not seen a picture of your actual cane, only one similar to it from the catalog photo you sent, so I'm leery of placing a value on it.
Being leery of imported toys, toy jewellery and antique toys.
Investors were focused on corporate results and leery of upcoming monthly employment data, due out Friday.
Some consumers are leery of peanut brittle because of dental work concerns.
Joey Potter, played by Hollywood beauty Katie Holmes, almost ended up with the central character Dawson Leery, portrayed by James Van Der Beek.
The Technicolor is easy on the eye and there's something of Hitchcock in the leery approach.