YSK: the difference between "wary" and "weary"
YSK: the difference between "wary" and "weary"
YSK because text-based communication demands clarity, and this mistake can be confusing for both native English speakers and English learners alike.
I've seen many people online writing "weary" when the context of the rest of their posts suggest they mean "wary." Here are Merriam-Webster definitions for each:
- exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness
- marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
Hope this helps somebody out there who may not know the difference or has been confused by the words :)
I’m weary of people who make this mistake.
I'm wary of those same people.
Just to confuse the issue:
"Be wary of driving while weary." — "It's dangerous to drive while sleepy."
"I'm weary of being wary." — "Doc, I really need to get over my anxiety disorder."
Yeah this one bothers me almost as much as "loose" when they mean "lose." I've heard people adamantly declare "Lose isn't a word! That clearly rhymes with hose, nose, or toes!"
A super weird one is the mispronunciation of wary; I've heard at least a dozen people pronounce it "woary," like it rhymes with gory or lorry. Absolutely bonkers.
weary -> wear and tear
wary -> (hyper) aware
i remember watching a documentary on... something, idk and a woman described herself as 'leery' around a suspicious character. i'm near certain it was a true crime doc and don't want to make fun because of that but the transformation of wary > weary > leery really is something
But wouldn't 'leery' make sense there? It means something close to 'suspicious' after all.
huh, you're right. i'd assumed it was related to the verb 'leer' meaning 'leery' would mean intimidating or perverted.