Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a chary manner; carefully; warily; sparingly; frugally.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a chary manner; carefully; cautiously; frugally.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a chary or sad manner.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb with great caution; warily

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From chary +‎ -ly.

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Examples

  • “You must stand as tall as you can,” Insa said as she scraped the last bit of margarine from the foil and spread it charily on the bread.

    The Language Christopher Allen 2011

  • The book starts out charily, but really picks up around chapter three when Jig and Smudge encounter an angry were-dingo who wants to feast them both.

    Mad Libs Reviewing jimhines 2010

  • I walked charily around the house for several days, trying not to wince.

    Five for Friday Holly 2008

  • I walked charily around the house for several days, trying not to wince.

    Archive 2008-01-01 Holly 2008

  • In reward whereof, they taught him (by heart) many wholsome prayers, as the Pater noster in the vulgar tongue; the Song of Saint Alexis; the Lamentations of Saint Bernard, the Hymne of Madame Matilda, and many other such like matters, which he kept charily, and repeated usually, as tending to the salvation of his soule.

    The Decameron 2004

  • These friendly speeches cut off all further contention, and she kepte charily the tuft of er Husbands beard, which (the verie selfe-same day) shee sent to Pyrrhus her hearts chosen friend.

    The Decameron 2004

  • Now they stretched themselves out on their elbows and began to puff, charily, and with slender confidence.

    The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 2003

  • Thus scrolls were quite valuable and charily guarded.

    The Soulforge Weis, Margaret 1998

  • He knew McKinstry's thought of that little girl well enough, but he held the child-hearted man's secret tenderly and charily in his hand.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 67, May, 1863 Various

  • Whenever she came to the cottage, she poured oil upon the turbulent waters of its domestic life; coaxed up Amos as daintily and charily as a child would proffer crumbs to a bear in a menagerie; pleased Mrs. Bray by accounts of her city shopping; and petted Annie, giving her occasionally, in a shy way, some bow or bit of silk, of an especially brilliant hue, which had caught her eye in town.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 97, November, 1865 Various

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