leeriness

1 7.9

A feeling of being careful and suspicious about people or things that may be unsafe

noun
/ˈlɪr.i.nəs/

: recelo

Her leeriness of unfamiliar foods made her hesitant to try new dishes at the restaurant.

Examples

His leeriness toward online deals kept him from making impulsive purchases.
There was a sense of leeriness among the neighbors after several break-ins occurred in the area.
Her leeriness towards strangers was evident.
His leeriness made him hesitate before approaching.
His leeriness about the stranger made him hesitant to trust him.
There was a general leeriness among the employees regarding the new policies.
Her leeriness was evident when she refused to share her personal information online.

Synonyms

mistrust

vsleeriness

32 4.0

A feeling of not trusting someone or something

adds cautious watchfulness about potential danger or untrustworthiness

wariness

vsleeriness

6 5.4

Being careful and watchful to avoid danger or trouble

leans more toward mistrust of people rather than only watchfulness

cautiousness

vsleeriness

1 4.2

Careful action to avoid danger or problems

adds an element of doubt about others, not just care

guardedness

vsleeriness

1 6.9

A way of being careful and reserved about sharing personal thoughts or feelings

is more about feeling doubtful or physically cautious than secrecy

suspiciousness

vsleeriness

1 5.4

A habit of not trusting other people's motives

adds a stronger cautious concern about danger or untrustworthiness

dubiousness

vsleeriness

1 7.8

A feeling of doubt or not trusting something

leans more toward active caution and mistrust about danger or people

caginess

vsleeriness

1 7.5

A tendency to be careful and secret about giving information

focuses more on general caution or mistrust rather than secrecy

distrustfulness

vsleeriness

1 7.5

A feeling of not trusting other people

includes cautious alertness about danger as well as distrust

chariness

vsleeriness

1 9.9

The quality of being careful to avoid risk or harm

is similar but places more weight on mistrust of people

Antonyms

trust

766 1.0

Strong belief that a person or thing is honest and reliable

confidence

391 2.1

A belief that you can do something well

How Suspicious

paranoia

Specialized

116 8.2

suspicion

64 3.0

leeriness

1 7.9

distrust

54 3.5

wariness

6 5.4

Surface Forms

leeriness singular

leerinesses plural

Morphology

leeriness = leery (transparent) = leery + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'leery' indicating the state or quality of being leery.

Etymology

The word leeriness comes from leery, which probably comes from leer 'to look', so imagine someone giving a sideways, suspicious look. So leeriness is the cautious, suspicious feeling you get when you watch someone or something and do not fully trust it.