Pet peeve of the day: “weary” vs. “wary”
- weary
-
- Physically or mentally fatigued.
- Expressive of or prompted by fatigue: a weary smile.
- Having one’s interest, forbearance, or indulgence worn out: weary of delays.
- Causing fatigue; tiresome: a weary wait.
- wary
-
- On guard; watchful: taught to be wary of strangers.
- Characterized by caution: a wary glance at the black clouds.
Why do so many people get these two words confused when they’re writing? They’re not even pronounced the same!
June 13th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
The English language is full of words like this - similar spellings, similar sounding, or similar meanings.
It’s amazing I ever learned to use this crazy language.
July 7th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
That bugs me too. People seem to use “weary” for both definitions. Grrr.
August 3rd, 2006 at 9:35 pm
How about “bear” versus “bare”; as in “bear (endure) a burden” vs. “bare (strip naked) one’s soul”. These two verb forms may be more abused than weary/wary.
January 19th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I was bugged about the same thing until I checked it in Oxford and found definition 3 of weary to be:
3 (often weary of) reluctant to experience any more of.
suggesting some of my past irritation (though not all of it) was unfounded.