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Definition of "cautious" []

  • Showing or practicing caution; careful. (adjective)
  • Tentative or restrained; guarded: felt a cautious optimism that the offer would be accepted. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "cautious" in a sentence
  • "Henry watched amazed as Burgess checked that no one else could see them, his expression cautious and watchful."
  • "A shrink had once told him to use the word cautious because of the negative connotations associated with the word paranoid, but Rapp had only laughed."
  • "We use the term cautious optimism to account for the mix of factors that each of our customers is weighing slightly differently."