cageyness
Reluctance to reveal
Cageyness is the quality of being reluctant to give information, evasive or guarded in manner.
Someone displaying cageyness avoids direct answers or commitments: Her cageyness about the deal made me suspicious.
The word suggests wariness rather than outright deception—holding cards close rather than lying about them.
Sly, scheming cleverness
- astutenessShrewd perceptiveness
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- wilinessShrewd deceptive cleverness
- slynessCunning in manner
savvy · calculation · streetwise · canny · sharp · clever · acumen · sagacity
Careful attention to risk
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- hesitancyUnwillingness to proceed
circumspection · vigilance · alertness · watchfulness · defensiveness · apprehension · mistrust · skepticism
Tendency to avoid directness
- reticenceHabitual verbal restraint
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
- close-mouthedUnwilling to speak freely
non-committal · vagueness · deflection · concealment · discretion · privacy · cryptic · enigmatic
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
- astutenessShrewd perceptiveness
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- wilinessShrewd deceptive cleverness
slyness · savvy · calculation · streetwise · canny · sharp · clever · acumen · sagacity · perceptiveness
caution
Careful attention to risk
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- distrustAbsence of confidence
hesitancy · circumspection · vigilance · alertness · watchfulness · defensiveness · apprehension · mistrust · skepticism · reserve
evasiveness
Tendency to avoid directness
- reticenceHabitual verbal restraint
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- tight-lippedUnwilling to divulge
close-mouthed · non-committal · vagueness · deflection · concealment · discretion · privacy · cryptic · enigmatic · mysterious
cageynessopenness
Quality of being accessible
candor · forthrightness · frankness · directness · transparency
cageynessartlessness
Sincere, unfeigned manner
guilelessness · naïveté · ingenuousness · openness · innocence
cage, caged, cages, birdcage, cagey, caging, ribcage, uncaged, uncage