guarded

[ gahr-did ]
See synonyms for: guardedguardedlyguardedness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. cautious; careful; prudent: to be guarded in one's speech.

  2. protected, watched, or restrained, as by a guard.

Origin of guarded

1
First recorded in 1500–10; guard + -ed2

Other words for guarded

Other words from guarded

  • guard·ed·ly, adverb
  • guard·ed·ness, noun
  • self-guarded, adjective
  • well-guarded, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use guarded in a sentence

  • They were waiting at a corner for a break in the street traffic, and he turned toward her guardedly.

    A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith Nicholson
  • "One will do, Frank; and another thing," the ranchman said guardedly.

    Hidden Gold | Wilder Anthony
  • There was no answer, but the efforts on the outside ceased for a minute, to be resumed more guardedly than at first.

    The Phantom of the River | Edward S. Ellis
  • "Let your auspicious mouth be widely opened," replied Lao Ting guardedly.

    Kai Lung's Golden Hours | Ernest Bramah
  • But the story of Mrs. So-and-so's indiscretion while still Miss Such-and-such must be talked of more guardedly.

    Somehow Good | William de Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for guarded

guarded

/ (ˈɡɑːdɪd) /


adjective
  1. protected or kept under surveillance

  2. prudent, restrained, or noncommittal: a guarded reply

Derived forms of guarded

  • guardedly, adverb
  • guardedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012