CAUTIOUS | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of cautious in English cautiousadjective uk /ˈkɔː.ʃəs/ us /ˈkɑː.ʃəs/ Add to word list Add to word list B2 Someone who is cautious avoids risks: He's a cautious driver. avoiding risk

• carefulBe careful! I don't want you to fall!
• cautiousShe's a very cautious driver.
• play it safeI think I'll play it safe and take the earlier train.
• risk-averseRisk-averse investors will want to stay away from the company's initial public offering.
• charyI'm a bit chary of accidentally offending our hosts.
• better safe than sorryIt's probably nothing more than a headache, but we'll order a round of tests - better safe than sorry.

See more results » B2 A cautious action is careful, well considered, and sometimes slow or uncertain: a cautious approach cautious criticism  cautious optimism a feeling that there are some reasons to hope for a good result, even if you do not expect complete success or improvement: Environmental groups are expressing cautious optimism that an agreement to protect the area can be reached. See more

• The prime minister was extremely cautious, saying nothing inflammatory and giving no hostages to fortune.
• Judging from your exam results, I think you have cause for cautious optimism about getting a university place.
• Their supporters gave the decision a cautious welcome.
• He is too cautious to be a great leader.
• I think you should be cautious about trying to change their views.

Cautious and vigilant

• abundance
• an abundance of caution idiom
• askance
• attentive
• attentively
• diligent
• diligent about something/doing something
• discreet
• due diligence
• gingerly
• meticulously
• meticulousness
• mindful
• minutely
• narrowly
• sedulous
• sedulously
• semi-conservative
• slowly
• snuffly

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Paying attention and being careful

Related words

cautiously cautiousness (Definition of cautious from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

cautious | American Dictionary

cautiousadjective us /ˈkɔ·ʃəs/ Add to word list Add to word list not acting quickly in order to avoid risks; careful: Most doctors are cautious about advising you to have surgery. Auto companies are taking a cautious approach toward introducing electric cars.

cautiously

adverb us /ˈkɔ·ʃəs·li/ She was in the habit of driving cautiously. (Definition of cautious from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

cautious | Business English

cautiousadjective uk /ˈkɔːʃəs/ us Add to word list Add to word list very careful about what you do or say and unwilling to take risks because you want to avoid possible problems: be cautious about sth/about doing sth Businesses have become cautious about spending on technology.a cautious approach/strategy He said the group would continue its cautious approach to expanding in Japan until it better understood the market.  cautious optimism a feeling that you can be hopeful about a situation although you realize that there still could be problems: There is cautious optimism for a successful outcome for the financial year.

cautiously

adverb Textile and garment companies in China reacted cautiously to the announcement. (Definition of cautious from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of cautious

cautious Accordingly, their physicians are generally more cautious and less inclined to 'switch-over' to new brands unless proved to be absolutely essential or decidedly superior. From the Cambridge English Corpus Coupled with the volume's empirical breadth, this cautious optimism helps make the authors' arguments both honest and valuable. From the Cambridge English Corpus We must be cautious in attributing motivation to an observed behaviour. From the Cambridge English Corpus The political decision process in 1992 resulted in a pragmatic and cautious approach when spelling out the details of the reform. From the Cambridge English Corpus We must therefore be cautious in the conclusions we draw from this review of notes of patient contacts. From the Cambridge English Corpus Second, the author maintains a direct yet cautious tone throughout the book. From the Cambridge English Corpus With oral sources, in particular, the historian must remain extremely cautious. From the Cambridge English Corpus We need, then, to be cautious about approaching such marginal annotation as obvious evidence of reading practice and intellectual meaning. From the Cambridge English Corpus While cautious of the sample size underpinning these conclusions, it was also found that consistent trustees had at least undergraduate education and relevant professional qualifications. From the Cambridge English Corpus We were cautious with our dosing schedule f or fear of prec ipitating an ag itated delir ium but observed no evidence to suggest this. From the Cambridge English Corpus We must be cautious, however, since the plan type affects the types of workers attracted to a firm. From the Cambridge English Corpus In such cases, a cautious tokenizer produces alternative segmentations postponing the decision to a later processing stage. From the Cambridge English Corpus In our numerical example, the cost of allowing the other central bank to learn dominates so optimal monetary policy strategy is cautious. From the Cambridge English Corpus Active learning in the absence of coordination gives central banks an incentive to follow cautious strategies, thereby slowing learning and avoiding conflict. From the Cambridge English Corpus In providing an answer to the other two questions she has a tendency (wisely) to be cautious and equivocates (p. 251). From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of cautious These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of cautious?

Translations of cautious

in Chinese (Traditional) 謹慎的，細心的，小心翼翼的, 經過仔細考慮的，斟酌過的… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 谨慎的，细心的，小心翼翼的, 经过仔细考虑的，斟酌过的… See more in Spanish cauteloso, prudente [masculine-feminine]… See more in Portuguese cauteloso, precavido, prudente… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian सावध, जागरूक… See more 慎重な, 注意深（ちゅういぶか）い… See more dikkatli, itinalı, tedbirli… See more prudent/-ente, circonspect/-ecte, prudent… See more cautelós, prudent… See more voorzichtig, behoedzaam… See more எச்சரிக்கையாக இருக்கக்கூடிய ஒருவர் அபாயங்களைத் தவிர்க்கிறார்., ஒரு எச்சரிக்கையான செயல் கவனமாகவும், நன்கு கருதப்பட்டதாகவும்… See more सतर्क, सावधानी भरा… See more સાવધ, સાવચેત… See more forsigtig… See more försiktig… See more waspada… See more vorsichtig… See more forsiktig, forbeholden… See more چوکسی, چوکنا, محتاط… See more обережний, передбачливий… See more జాగ్రత్తగా, జాగ్రత్తగా ఉండే వ్యక్తి నష్టం సంభవించే అవకాశం ఉండే చర్యలు/అలోచనలు చేపట్టడు., పదిలంగా… See more সতর্ক, সতর্কতাপূর্ণ কাজ… See more opatrný, obezřetný… See more hati-hati… See more ซึ่งรอบคอบ… See more cẩn trọng… See more ostrożny… See more 신중한, 조심스러운… See more cauto, prudente… See more Need a translator?

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More meanings of cautious

• hyper-cautious
• super-cautious
• ultra-cautious
• cautious optimism phrase

See all meanings

• cautious optimism phrase

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UK /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/ US /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/

(of food) brought to the table in large dishes so that people can serve themselves

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• English   
  • Adjective 
    • cautious
    • cautious optimism
• American   
  • Adjective 
    • cautious
  • Adverb 
    • cautiously
• Business   
  • Adjective 
    • cautious
    • cautious optimism
  • Adverb 
    • cautiously
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