guardedly.

With caution about what is said, shown, or promised, so that little is revealed.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• answer guardedly
• guardedly optimistic

On the page

She answered guardedly until she knew who else was listening.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Invariable adverb. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.