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. Brian Gu:

   We are seeing investors become more cautious, selective and keenly focused on the frontrunners. I think this trend is likely to persist.

2. Chuck Wexler:

   You just have to be honest and say that police in America are far more cautious today about stopping someone than they were a year ago, proactive policing is much more complicated. And now we're in the post George Floyd era, which makes police understandably cautious.

3. The Barker:

   Nealie Barker've become much more cautious now, nealie Barker think people need to realize that the travel market is largely unregulated and if you would take issue with being filmed, then you need to take all steps properly.

4. Philip Brown:

   Investors are not necessarily stepping back altogether but they are scaling back, investors are generally a little bit more cautious at the moment than they have been at the start of recent years.

5. Nobuhiko Kuramochi:

   The market started to get cautious on heightened expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates soon.