caginess
1
7.5
- noun
- /ˈkeɪdʒɪnəs/
:
cautela
- His face presented the same classic, even features as his mother's, but projected an elusive caginess and despair.
Examples
-
Despite his caginess, she managed to elicit valuable information from him.
-
But caginess was not her style.
Fiction book (2002) -
I studied her expression for some sign of caginess.
Fiction book (2002) -
Their marriage, like all marriages longer lived than my own, seduced me with its caginess.
Fiction book (1999) -
Add a pinch of Iranian caginess when it comes to keeping the international community guessing about its nuclear intentions and enrichment levels.
Blog text (22) -
One of the ironies of de Man's article (which indicates a certain caginess in bringing up Hum 6 in the first place) is that it is written in response to a furious denunciation of deconstruction by the grand man at Harvard, Walter Jackson Bate.
Academic text (1996) -
Her caginess made it difficult to understand her true intentions during the meeting.
-
The politician's caginess about his plans raised suspicions among the reporters.
Synonyms
165
4.4
Keeping information hidden from other people
96
5.4
Keeping information private so only some people can see it
10
7.8
A feeling of not wanting to speak or share thoughts
1
5.3
A secret way of behaving that hides someone's plans
1
6.5
The habit of not telling people things or hiding information from them
1
6.9
A way of being careful and reserved about sharing personal thoughts or feelings
1
7.3
Quiet and secret actions to avoid being noticed
Being secret so other people do not know about it
Trying to avoid being seen or noticed
Habit of doing things in a hidden way
Being alone and not seen by other people
A private situation where only the involved people know the details
Care in speech and actions to avoid embarrassing or hurting others
Antonyms
How Cautious
165
4.4
1
6.5
1
7.5
1
6.9
158
2.5
22
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Caginess comes from the adjective cagey, also spelt cagy, and from the word cage — imagine someone 'in a cage' who keeps things inside and is very careful about what they show. So, caginess is the quality of being 'secretive' or 'careful' about sharing information.