guarded 1 of 2

adjective

ˈgär-dəd How to pronounce guarded (audio)
Definition of guardednext
as in wary
having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble a guarded man who knew better than to reveal such delicate information guarded actions

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

guarded

2 of 2

verb

past tense of guard
1
as in protected
to drive danger or attack away from guard the quarterback so he doesn't get sacked

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in blockaded
to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point a fire-breathing dragon guarded the entrance to the castle

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of guarded
Adjective
When that happens, people become more guarded, less open and less willing to engage. — Tony Gambill, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Our spirits remain guarded, but high, for this one; the Venice Film Festival crowd seemed to eat it up. — Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024
Verb
Minamoto Yoshitsune was a strategist who went to hell and took it over, defeating the Oni who guarded hell. — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026 Keep your heart guarded, but always be open and ready for the things that are around you. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guarded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guarded
  1. wary
  2. protected
  3. blockaded
  4. cautious
  5. defended
  6. barricaded
  7. careful
  8. safeguarded
Adjective
  • Moscow, meanwhile, is widely seen as remaining wary of opening the door for Chinese security engagement in the Arctic, hoping instead that China will continue to buy up energy and broaden its role building out a lucrative NSR.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Some investors are wary that alternative data management system PostgreSQL could steal market share from MongoDB, driving down the stock by more than 40% in the first quarter, Ikeda said.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wary
Verb
  • So, heirs shouldn't assume that a creditor's claim automatically means the house will be sold — or, conversely, that inheriting the house means it's protected from the deceased person's debts.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Although American missile defense systems protected the Gulf from the worst of the barrage, enough Iranian strikes got through to do substantial harm and to disrupt the patina of stability on which the region’s social and economic model rested.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of protected
Verb
  • Iran’s proxies in the region, the Houthis, have since blockaded another strait – the Bab-al-Mandeb – challenging Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil through that alternate route.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • During the early nineteen-eighties, when Paul Volcker, the chair of the Federal Reserve, raised interest rates to twenty per cent in the face of rampant inflation, furious farmers blockaded the Fed’s headquarters with their tractors.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of blockaded
Adjective
  • Officials were urging residents to be cautious as the hurricane approached.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite expert consensus ranking him QB2 (31st overall), there's reason to be cautious.
    — Steve Bradshaw, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of cautious
Verb
  • Summary Islam Makhachev successfully defended his welterweight title at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, securing a unanimous decision victory over Ian Machado Garry.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Roberts conceded that the BFI system can seem like a bureaucracy but defended the amount of paperwork.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of defended
Verb
  • By the time deputies arrived, the suspect had barricaded himself inside his home, authorities said.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The man barricaded himself inside his house when deputies arrived, according to the sheriff's department.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of barricaded
Adjective
  • Without careful planning to reduce the constellations’ brightness, the team found that, in the most extreme case, the satellites could outnumber visible stars by a factor of 100.
    — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Maneuvering in tight spaces requires careful judgment of each individual case — and not just about which body part is least likely to cause offense when brought into close proximity to a fellow diner.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of careful
Verb
  • Longtime Webb producer Fred Mollin, who safeguarded the compositions for years, helped bring them back into the light.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Since its establishment, the Kalepo Conservancy has safeguarded one of Kenya’s last great wilderness areas.
    — Nicola Shepherd, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of safeguarded

Browse Nearby Words

guard (against)
guarded
guarded (against)
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Cite this Entry

“Guarded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guarded. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of guarded for Spanish Speakers

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