cagey
ca·gey
adj \ˈkā-jē\ca·gi·erca·gi·est
Definition of CAGEY
1
: hesitant about committing oneself <officials are cagey about giving out details>
2
a : wary of being trapped or deceived : shrewd <a cagey consumer> b : marked by cleverness <a cagey reply>
— ca·gi·ly \-jə-lē\ adverb
— ca·gi·ness also ca·gey·ness \-jē-nəs\ noun
See Variants of CAGEY
ca·gey also ca·gy \ˈkā-jē\
Examples of CAGEY
- <a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district>
- <when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job>
Origin of CAGEY
origin unknown
First Known Use: circa 1893
Related to CAGEY
Related Words: astute, facile, glib, sharp; crooked, deceitful, deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, insinuating, knavish, Machiavellian, oblique, serpentine, shady, shifty, slippery, sneaky, treacherous, underhand, underhanded, unscrupulous; backhanded, double-dealing, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, smooth-tongued, two-faced; circuitous, circular, roundabout; clandestine, concealed, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover; calculating, plotting
Near Antonyms: obvious, open, patent, plain, public, unconcealed; aboveboard, candid, direct, forthright, frank, honest, natural, outspoken, plainspoken, real, simple, sincere, straightforward, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, unvarnished; childlike, impressionable, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly; unforced, unstudied; trustful, trusting
Rhymes with CAGEY
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