leery
Valid in Scrabble
- Scrabble points
- 8
- Words With Friends
- 8
- Letters
- 5
/ˈlɪəɹi/
See all 8 pronunciations Show less
/ˈlɪəɹi/ · /ˈlɪɹi/ · /ˈlɪɚi/ (US) · /ˈliɹi/ (US) · /ˈliɹɪ/ · /ˈliɹe/ · /ˈliəɹi/ · /ˈlɛːɹi/
Definition of leery
3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included
adj
-
Cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns.
“Since he was bitten by a dog when he was young, he has always been leery of animals.”
““[…]He was one of their top gun-fighters—always up to his ears in the thick of any fightin' that was goin' on. He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm.””
““He's so darn afraid you'll be offended if he smokes. You scare him. Every time he speaks of the weather you jump him because he ain't talking about poetry or Gertie—Goethe?—or some other highbrow junk. You've got him so leery he scarcely dares to come here.””
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adj
-
Cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns.
“Since he was bitten by a dog when he was young, he has always been leery of animals.”
““[…]He was one of their top gun-fighters—always up to his ears in the thick of any fightin' that was goin' on. He never was leery of anything on two feet, I'll say that much for'm.””
““He's so darn afraid you'll be offended if he smokes. You scare him. Every time he speaks of the weather you jump him because he ain't talking about poetry or Gertie—Goethe?—or some other highbrow junk. You've got him so leery he scarcely dares to come here.””
- (UK, obsolete, slang)Sly; artful; knowing.
-
Leering; lecherous or unpleasant.
“And there was a particularly brutal villain with leery eyes, ugly mouth, with one tooth gone, and an iron jaw like a hull-dog's.”
Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Etymology
First attested in 1718, “untrustful, suspicious”, either from leer (“sideward look”) + -y, lear (“learning, knowledge”) + -y. More at leer, lear.
Anagrams of leery
5 plays · some not in Scrabble
Words you can make from leery
21 playable · top: EELY (7 pts)
Best play eely 7 points4-letter words
7 words3-letter words
9 words2-letter words
4 wordsFind your best play with leery
See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes leery, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.