cagey
Wary of revealing
Cagey means reluctant to give information, evasive or guarded: He was cagey about where he'd been all night.
Someone cagey avoids direct answers, often because they're hiding something or being strategically cautious.
The word can also suggest shrewdness—being cagey about negotiations might be smart rather than suspicious.
Sly, scheming cleverness
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- cleverShowing mental quickness
- wilySkilled at deception
- cannyShrewdly practical and cautious
sly · astute · calculating · artful · foxy · sharp · savvy · streetwise
Hard to find
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- vagueUnclear, ill-defined
- indirectNot straight or immediate
- circumlocutorySpeaking in circles
slippery · ambiguous · equivocal · deflecting · unforthcoming · hedging · sidestepping · dodging
Guardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
- carefulExercising caution and attention
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
- prudentExercising sound judgment
vigilant · watchful · leery · distrustful · suspicious · hesitant · reserved · defensive
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
canny · sly · astute · calculating · artful · foxy · sharp · savvy · streetwise · scheming
elusive
Hard to find
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- vagueUnclear, ill-defined
- indirectNot straight or immediate
circumlocutory · slippery · ambiguous · equivocal · deflecting · unforthcoming · hedging · sidestepping · dodging · reticent
wary
Guardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
- carefulExercising caution and attention
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
prudent · vigilant · watchful · leery · distrustful · suspicious · hesitant · reserved · defensive · alert
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- suspiciondistrust, suspicion, mistrust, suspiciousness, doubt
- animal-likeapish, apelike, avian, beastly, birdlike
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- indecisionindecision, indecisiveness, conflicted, hesitation, indecisive
- rib cageBony chest enclosure
- squirrel cageCylindrical rotating enclosure
- bird cageEnclosure for captive birds
- cage matchFight within barriers
- cage fighterEnclosed-arena combat sport athlete
- cage fightCombat in enclosed arena
cage, caged, caging, caginess, cagy, uncaged, uncage, encage, encaged