Library / English Dictionary

CAUTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger

Example:

a man of caution

Synonyms:

carefulness; caution; cautiousness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("caution" is a kind of...):

attentiveness (the trait of being observant and paying attention)

Antonym:

incaution (the trait of forgetting or ignoring possible danger)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The trait of being circumspect and prudent

Synonyms:

caution; circumspection

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("caution" is a kind of...):

discernment; discretion (the trait of judging wisely and objectively)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "caution"):

precaution (the trait of practicing caution in advance)

chariness; wariness (the trait of being cautious and watchful)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger

Example:

he handled the vase with care

Synonyms:

care; caution; forethought; precaution

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("caution" is a kind of...):

judiciousness (good judgment)

Derivation:

cautious (showing careful forethought)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A warning against certain acts

Example:

a caveat against unfair practices

Synonyms:

caution; caveat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("caution" is a kind of...):

warning (a message informing of danger)

Derivation:

caution (warn strongly; put on guard)

cautionary (serving to warn)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Warn strongly; put on guard

Synonyms:

admonish; caution; monish

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "caution" is one way to...):

warn (notify of danger, potential harm, or risk)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

caution (a warning against certain acts)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Finally he waved us to come on, holding up his hand as a signal for caution.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But the last singularity explains the first, as I intimated once before: you, with your gravity, considerateness, and caution were made to be the recipient of secrets.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

This time he was aware that it was the club, but his madness knew no caution.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Mr. Omer, hearing his daughter's footstep before I heard it, touched me with his pipe, and shut up one eye, as a caution.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The research is preliminary, and the scientists caution that only one concentration of the clay suspension was tested.

(Clay fights MRSA, other 'superbugs' in wounds, National Science Foundation)

Radford, however, cautions that just bringing fish back to degraded reefs will not reverse the degradation seen on many coral reefs.

(Loudspeakers used to attract fish back to dying coral reefs, SciDev.Net)

The researchers caution their studies don't justify or demonstrate the value of using commercially available sulforaphane supplements to treat or prevent schizophrenia.

(Key to Treating Schizophrenia May Be Found in Broccoli, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The researchers caution, however, that additional research is needed to better understand the effects of klotho.

(Longevity gene linked to better brain skills, NIH, US)

The researchers recommend the population to proceed with caution.

(Purchase receipts with easily erasable ink contain cancer- and infertility inducing substances, University of Granada)

The study helps to circumscribe the limits of habitability and demands caution when interpreting morphological biosignatures on Earth and beyond.

(Place discovered on earth with no microbial life, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)