adj
cagey
KAYD-zhee
adj
1
Careful and guarded about what you say or reveal; reluctant to share information.
"He got cagey when we asked about his new business partner."
"The witness was cagey about where she had been that night."
How to Use Cagey
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBeing cautious and a bit secretive, dodging direct answers rather than lying outright.
Memory tip
Cagey people aren't necessarily hiding something bad — they're just being deliberately vague or non-committal.
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Common pairings
cagey about
stay cagey
a cagey answer
Word Forms
cagier comparative, cagiest superlative
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He got _____ when we asked about his new business partner.
Etymology
An American colloquial term of unclear origin, first recorded in the early 1900s. Some suggest a link to the wary, closed-off behavior of a caged animal, but this is only a guess.