caginess
Reluctance to reveal
Caginess is reluctance to share information or commit to a position.
Someone who is cagey guards their thoughts, deflects questions, or remains deliberately vague: His caginess about the deal made investors nervous.
The quality suggests wariness or strategic evasion rather than simple shyness.
Shrewd, devious cleverness
- slynessCunning in manner
- wilinessShrewd deceptive cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
- artfulnessClever, crafty skill
foxiness · astuteness · cleverness · canniness · calculating · scheming · strategic · wily
Quality of escaping grasp
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- deflectionChange in trajectory
sidestepping · avoidance · ambiguity · indirectness · equivocation · reticence · guardedness · secrecy
Careful attention to risk
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- vigilanceState of keen awareness
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
circumspection · skepticism · hesitation · apprehension · alertness · watchfulness · leery · mistrustful
craftiness
Shrewd, devious cleverness
- slynessCunning in manner
- wilinessShrewd deceptive cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
artfulness · foxiness · astuteness · cleverness · canniness · calculating · scheming · strategic · wily · savvy
elusiveness
Quality of escaping grasp
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
deflection · sidestepping · avoidance · ambiguity · indirectness · equivocation · reticence · guardedness · secrecy · concealment
caution
Careful attention to risk
guardedness · circumspection · skepticism · hesitation · apprehension · alertness · watchfulness · leery · mistrustful · doubtful
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- mental sharpnessmental agility, mental clarity, mental focus, acumen, sharp mind
- warinesscaution, wariness, guardedness, vigilance, watchfulness
caginessfrankness
Direct, unguarded honesty
candor · openness · forthrightness · directness · transparency
caginessrecklessness
Careless disregard for danger
rashness · impulsiveness · carelessness · abandon · boldness
caginessgenuineness
Quality of being real
honesty · sincerity · artlessness · guilelessness · ingenuousness
cage, caged, cagey, caging, cagy, cagily, cagier, cageyness, cagiest