Word
cautioned
Phoneticscau·tioned
US/ˈkɑʃənd/
UK/kˈɔːʃənd/
Definition
adj. feeling or acting with care because you want to avoid danger or mistakes.
adj. characterised by or showing care and forethought to avoid risk. Often used as a participial adjective to describe a person's mood or a specific approach to a problem.
Examples
“He took a cautioned approach to the new investment.”
“The diplomat gave a cautioned response to the reporters, careful not to reveal any classified details.”
“Even after the initial success, the team remained cautioned, knowing that the final phase of the experiment carried the highest risk of failure.”
Examples
simple
“He took a cautioned approach to the new investment.”
contextual
“The diplomat gave a cautioned response to the reporters, careful not to reveal any classified details.”
complex
“Even after the initial success, the team remained cautioned, knowing that the final phase of the experiment carried the highest risk of failure.”
Usage
Often follows linking verbs like 'remain' or 'stay'; can also be used attributively before a noun.
Pitfall
He was caution about the dog.
He was cautious about the dog.
Learners often confuse the past participle 'cautioned' with the standard adjective 'cautious'; 'cautioned' implies someone has been warned, while 'cautious' describes a personality trait.
Real-World Examples
“Ojha cautioned that the comparison between the two processes has clear limits.” “But Nick Hillman, the director of Hepi, cautioned against assuming that living at home was necessarily a disadvantage.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cautioned