chary

chary
charily, adv.
/chair"ee/, adj., charier, chariest.
1. cautious or careful; wary: He was chary of investing in oil wells.
2. shy; timid.
3. fastidious; choosy: She is excessively chary about her friends.
4. sparing (often fol. by of): chary of his praise.
[bef. 1000; ME; OE cearig sorrowful (c(e)ar(u) CARE + -ig -Y1); c. OS karag, OHG karag (G karg scanty, paltry)]
Syn. 1. circumspect. 4. frugal.
Ant. 1. trustful. 2. confident. 3. uncritical. 4. lavish.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Chary — Char y (ch[^a]r [y^] or ch[=a] r[y^]; 277), a. [AS. cearig careful, fr. cearu care. See {Care}.] 1. Careful; wary; cautious; not rash, or reckless; as, the latest internet IPO s were shunned by investors made chary by the poor performance of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chary — [cher′ē, char′ē] adj. charier, chariest [ME chari, concerned, sorrowful < OE cearig, sorrowful < cearu, caru, CARE; change of sense by assoc. with care] 1. not taking chances; careful; cautious [to be chary of offending others] 2. not… …   English World dictionary

  • chary — chary; un·chary; …   English syllables

  • chary — ► ADJECTIVE (charier, chariest) ▪ cautiously reluctant: leaders are chary of reform. ORIGIN Old English, «sorrowful, anxious» …   English terms dictionary

  • chary — index circumspect, discreet, frugal, guarded, leery, parsimonious, penurious, provident (showing foresight), pru …   Law dictionary

  • Chary — Nom porté en Lorraine (54, 57), en Saône et Loire et en Normandie (76). Il semble que ce soit un toponyme (nom de divers lieux dits dans l Est). Voir aussi Charry …   Noms de famille

  • chary — (adj.) O.E. cearig sorrowful (see CARE (Cf. care)). Sense evolved 16c. from full of care to careful. Cognate with O.S. carag, O.H.G. charag sorrow, trouble, care …   Etymology dictionary

  • chary — *cautious, circumspect, wary, calculating Analogous words: prudent, discreet, provident (see under PRUDENCE): *sparing, economical, frugal, thrifty: reluctant, hesitant, loath, *disinclined …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • chary — [adj] careful, cautious cagey, calculating, canny, circumspect, considerate, constrained, discreet, economical, fastidious, frugal, gingerly, guarded, heedful, hesitant, inhibited, leery, loath, miserly, particular, prudent, reluctant, restrained …   New thesaurus

  • chary — adj. 1) chary about (chary about doing smt.) 2) chary of (chary of strangers) * * * [ tʃe(ə)rɪ] chary about (chary about doing smt.) chary of (chary of strangers) …   Combinatory dictionary

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