chary
Reluctant to trust
Chary means cautious or wary, especially about committing to something: She was chary of making promises she couldn't keep.
The word suggests careful reluctance rather than outright refusal—a guarded holding back.
Someone chary of praise gives it sparingly.
The word is somewhat literary and old-fashioned in contemporary usage.
Wary and restrained
- prudentExercising sound judgment
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
- discreetCareful to avoid notice
- judiciousHaving sound assessment skills
meticulous · deliberate · measured · conservative · thoughtful · heedful · mindful · attentive
Slow to act
- unwillingOpposed to participating
- disinclinedAverse to acting
- loathStrongly reluctant
- resistantWithstanding external forces
reticent · grudging · unenthusiastic · averse · diffident · shy · bashful · timid
Cautiously distrustful
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- mistrustfulLacking faith in others
- skepticalInclined to question claims
- doubtfulUncertain of truth
dubious · questioning · guarded · cynical · incredulous · unconvinced · disbelieving · jaundiced
guarded
Wary and restrained
- prudentExercising sound judgment
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
- discreetCareful to avoid notice
judicious · meticulous · deliberate · measured · conservative · thoughtful · heedful · mindful · attentive · scrupulous
hesitant
Slow to act
- unwillingOpposed to participating
- disinclinedAverse to acting
- loathStrongly reluctant
resistant · reticent · grudging · unenthusiastic · averse · diffident · shy · bashful · timid · reserved
leery
Cautiously distrustful
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- mistrustfulLacking faith in others
- skepticalInclined to question claims
doubtful · dubious · questioning · guarded · cynical · incredulous · unconvinced · disbelieving · jaundiced · apprehensive
- cautiouslycarefully, warily, gingerly, guardedly, prudently
- suspiciondistrust, suspicion, mistrust, suspiciousness, doubt
- indecisionindecision, indecisiveness, conflicted, hesitation, indecisive
charyreckless
Carelessly ignoring danger
rash · heedless · careless · incautious · impetuous
charygenerous
Willing to give freely
lavish · liberal · unstinting · willing · profligate