These words refer to thoughtful restraint in behaviour. Cautious is the most general of these, suggesting a careful holding back from action until all possibilities have been considered: a cautious attitude towards buying into his company. The word can, as well, suggest careful action, in which case it suggests a slow, tentative or even timid manner: his cautious crossing of the rickety bridge. Wary is an intensification of all the implications of cautious , stressing an extremely hesitant manner that sees every course of action fairly bristling with dangers: giving a wary reply to the enigmatic comment of the stranger; asking the campers to be particularly wary of starting a bush-fire during the dry season.

Guarded also intensifies the implication of cautious , but puts special stress on a wary manner in social interchanges that is marked by a reluctance to reveal too much about oneself or give too much of oneself except to people with whom one is thoroughly familiar: a guarded , non-committal answer to the interviewer’s blunt questions. It may also suggest a deliberate suppression of one’s feelings for fear of having them proved wrong: a guarded optimism about the outcome of the election. Whereas the former words point to restrained behaviour that might result from fear, unfamiliarity, or uneasiness, prudent suggests action that is the outcome of wisdom gained by experience. Such action need not be cautious or wary at all; these words might, in fact, suggest the opposite of prudent when no real cause for fear exists: It was not prudent to be so cautious in climbing the slope, because it put her in constant danger of losing her balance.

Circumspect and discreet both refer primarily to social behaviour. Circumspect indicates a strict adherence to social proprieties.

• A prudent politician must perforce lead a rigorously circumspect life; if he cannot, he had best be cautious as to which temptations he permits himself to surrender to.

Discreet refers to a different kind of social propriety than circumspect, indicating an ability to keep the confidences of other people and to be extremely guarded about entrusting personal details to others: wondering how discreet her friend could be about what he knew of her past life. In a less specific use, discreet approaches the meaning of circumspect , suggesting a prudent choice of inoffensive behaviour or an ability to handle difficult matters with tact and delicacy. In this same the word nevertheless contrasts with circumspect in suggesting a more intuitive, less rigid approach to social behaviour.