Synonyms for leery


Grammar : Adj
Spell : leer-ee
Phonetic Transcription : ˈlɪər i

Top 10 synonyms for leery Other synonyms for the word leery

Définition of leery

Origin :
  • "untrusting, suspicious, alert," 1718, originally slang, with -y (2), and perhaps from dialectal lere "learning, knowledge" (see lore), or from leer (v.) in some now-obscure sense. OED suggests connection with archaic leer (adj.) "empty, useless," a general Germanic word (cf. German leer, Dutch laar), of unknown origin.
  • adj suspicious
Example sentences :
  • He was so silent and so kind of pleasant-looking I got leery of him.
  • Extract from : « The Forester's Daughter » by Hamlin Garland
  • He is a leery one, this; now he is not more than a yard and a half from the target.
  • Extract from : « The South Pole, Volumes 1 and 2 » by Roald Amundsen
  • But be leery that we don't get stuck for non-performance: which we can't afford.
  • Extract from : « Yellowstone Nights » by Herbert Quick
  • Their emotions are mostly expressed by indeterminable, leery grins.
  • Extract from : « In the Land of Mosques & Minarets » by Francis Miltoun
  • She was entirely frigid or else so leery of men that she might as well have been one herself.
  • Extract from : « Mate in Two Moves » by Winston Marks
  • The mathematician gave me a leery look, picked up in barracks.
  • Extract from : « The Life of the Fly » by J. Henri Fabre
  • I don't know why, but almost every fellow is leery of that position.
  • Extract from : « Left Tackle Thayer » by Ralph Henry Barbour
  • He twirled his Calabrian headpiece in his hands, and let his leery eyes wander about the walls.
  • Extract from : « The Goose Man » by Jacob Wassermann
  • She's a leery old bird—reminds me of one of those pictures of Fate, don't you know.
  • Extract from : « The Skin Game (Fourth Series Plays) » by John Galsworthy
  • Lungy was leery that I was soft on Lucy—I might have been, easy enough—and sat looking at me for a straight hour.
  • Extract from : « Yellowstone Nights » by Herbert Quick

Antonyms for leery

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019