variants
also cagy
1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reluctant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cagey
In Other News • Bradley and Chip finally track down Claire, who is cagey, but does hand over a document that clearly points to former head of news Bethanne Hines taking a multimillion-dollar payout to kill the Wolf River story.
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Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
For a long stretch of its opening act, All the President’s Men—the canonical paranoid thriller from 1976—isn’t just about the brewing Watergate scandal, or about the battle between a cagey political machine and an enterprising newspaper.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
And even in recent interviews given to promote the residency’s resumption, other band members were cagey about exactly what went down, before Neil himself let the cat out of the bag.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
The duo’s fingerprints were all over four great Argentina openings in a cagey game.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cagey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cagey
Adjective
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Varner described the creatures as diabolically cunning, destructive, and nocturnal.—
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The show followed Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a former British military officer who goes undercover to help take down Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), a cunning, amoral arms dealer helping to destabilize the Middle East.—
Adjective
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As long as inflation remains above its target of 2%, the Fed will likely be reluctant to cut rates much more.—
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That expains in part why Ferrari was so reluctant to make one, finally relenting with the Purosangue, which was the most polarizing car of 2022 and is still upsetting people to this day.—
Adjective
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Ariana Grande made a cute face while taking a pic with Steven Spielberg.—
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Jump on the trend early with this cute, hands-free Michael Kors crossbody bag.—
Adjective
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Opposing quarterbacks were hesitant to throw his way, and Hudson allowed only five completions all season (no touchdowns) in 186 snaps of man coverage with three interceptions, six passes defensed and 37 tackles.—
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There probably are owners who are hesitant — right or wrong — to hire him to lead their organizations because of how the entire situation in Miami — his prior head coaching job — played out.—
Adjective
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The slick material keeps chafing to a minimum during workouts, and the brushed inside is so soft against the skin and helps keep cold air out and your body heat in.—
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Between the melting ice under the court and heavy rain Thursday night in Chicago, condensation created a slick and dangerous playing surface.—
Adjective
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The model predicts target expressions from subtle initial facial changes.—
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Amazon Essentials Pointed-Toe Flat Want a subtle lift without having to wear heels?—
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cagey. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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