Synonyms for cautious
ˈkɔ ʃəscau·tious

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.7 / 3 votes

1. cautiousadjective

   Antonyms:
   careless, neglecting

2. cautiousadjective

   He took a few cautious steps out the door.

   Antonyms:
   neglecting, careless

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. cautious

   Vigilant implies more sustained activity and more intelligent volition than alert; one may be habitually alert by reason of native quickness of perception and thought, or one may be momentarily alert under some excitement or expectancy; one who is vigilant is so with thoughtful purpose. One is vigilant against danger or harm; he may be alert or watchful for good as well as against evil; he is wary in view of suspected stratagem, trickery, or treachery. A person may be wakeful because of some merely physical excitement or excitability, as through insomnia; yet he may be utterly careless and negligent in his wakefulness, the reverse of watchful; a person who is truly watchful must keep himself wakeful while on watch, in which case wakeful has something of mental quality. Watchful, from the Saxon, and vigilant, from the Latin, are almost exact equivalents; but vigilant has somewhat more of sharp definiteness and somewhat more suggestion of volition; one may be habitually watchful; one is vigilant of set purpose and for direct cause, as in the presence of an enemy. Compare ALERT.

   Synonyms:
   alert, awake, careful, circumspect, on the alert, on the lookout, sleepless, vigilant, wakeful, wary, watchful, wide-awake

   Antonyms:
   careless, drowsy, dull, heedless, inattentive, incautious, inconsiderate, neglectful, negligent, oblivious, thoughtless, unwary

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. timid, cautiousadjective

   people who are fearful and cautious

   "whitewater rafting is not for the timid"

   Synonyms:
   timid

   Antonyms:
   tearaway(a), immoderate, madcap, hotheaded, incautious, impetuous, impulsive, brainish

2. cautiousadjective

   showing careful forethought

   "reserved and cautious; never making swift decisions"; "a cautious driver"

   Synonyms:
   conservative

   Antonyms:
   incautious, impetuous, madcap, brainish, impulsive, tearaway(a), hotheaded, immoderate

3. cautious, conservativeadjective

   avoiding excess

   "a conservative estimate"

   Synonyms:
   bourgeois, materialistic, button-down, buttoned-down, conservative

   Antonyms:
   impetuous, hotheaded, incautious, immoderate, brainish, madcap, tearaway(a), impulsive

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. careful, to hold-back, vigilant, wary, unsure

   i would be cautious about walking there after dark.

   Submitted by Soulwriter on June 13, 2021  

2. hesitant

   i would be cautious about walking there after dark.

   Submitted by anonymous on June 30, 2021  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cautiousadjective

   Synonyms:
   prudent, wary, careful, heedful, chary, circumspect, discreet, watchful, vigilant

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cautiousadjective

   Synonyms:
   circumspect, prudent, wary

   Antonyms:
   incautious, unwary

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "cautious":

   prudent, careful, wary, warned, circumspect, conservative, vigilant, precautionary, timid, prudential, caution, prudence, wise

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How to use cautious in a sentence?

1. Scott Colyer:

   Investors have been very cautious, overly so in equities, over the past month or so. That seems to be mostly attributable to overseas risks. Those risks are coming off the table this week.

2. Darren Brown:

   I’ve seen her do a lot more with a lot less time, i know that if we just keep her healthy and we’re safe and cautious with this process, she’s going to come out the other end ready to fight, like she always has, and she’ll do something special.

3. Kyle Tisdel:

   Releasing it on Black Friday after Thanksgiving on one of the slower news cycles of the year is emblematic of what the report said and did, it's certainly a complicated mix of factors but ultimately the result is a tremendously cautious and tepid approach on these issues, and an approach that doesn't follow through on campaign promises that were made.

4. Rochelle Walensky:

   The rate of rise is lower, but we are still seeing increases and we are of course a very diverse country and things are not even across the country. So, we're watching this with cautious optimism.

5. Kathleen Smith:

   Large money-losing IPOs with high valuations tend to be challenging in the IPO market, iPO investors have already been burnt by Lyft and Uber. They are going to be cautious about WeWork.