Chary

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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 first wave of companies
        that went public.


        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
              His rising reputation made him more chary of his
              fame.                                 --Jeffrey.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Saving; frugal; sparing; not spendthrift; -- often used
        with of; as, chary of his praise.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     3. Fastidious; picky; choosy.
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  chary
       adj : characterized by great cautious and wariness; "a cagey
             avoidance of a definite answer"; "chary of the risks
             involved"; "a chary investor" [syn: {cagey}, {cagy}]
       [also: {chariest}, {charier}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  47 Moby Thesaurus words for "chary":
     Scotch, cagey, calculating, canny, careful, cheeseparing,
     circumspect, conserving, considerate, constrained, discreet,
     disinclined, distrustful, economic, economical, economizing,
     forehanded, frugal, gingerly, guarded, hesitant, inhibited,
     labor-saving, leery, loath, mistrustful, money-saving,
     parsimonious, penny-wise, provident, prudent, prudential,
     reluctant, restrained, safe, saving, scrimping, shy, skimping,
     spare, sparing, suspecting, suspicious, thrifty, time-saving,
     unwasteful, wary