(a.) Attentive to examine probable effects and consequences of acts with a view to avoid danger or misfortune; prudent; circumspect; wary; watchful; as, a cautious general.

alert ambling attentive cagey calculating canny careful chary circumspect claudicant considerate cozy crawling creeping creeping like snail curious deliberate demurring diffident discreet disinclined to believe disposed to doubt easy expedient faltering flagging foot-dragging foresighted forethoughtful gentle gingerly gradual guarded halting hard of belief heedful hesitant hesitating hobbled hobbling idle impervious to persuasion inconvincible incredulous indolent jibbing judicious languid languorous lazy leaving out nothing leery leisurely limping loving lumbering mindful moderate noncommittal on guard overlooking no possibility pawky poking poky politic precautious provident prudent regardful relaxed reluctant safe sauntering scheming scrupling shilly-shallying shrewd shuffling shy of belief skeptical slack slothful slow slow as death slow as molasses slow as slow slow to act slow-crawling slow-foot slow-going slow-legged slow-moving slow-paced slow-poky slow-running slow-sailing slow-stepped sluggish snail-paced snaillike solicitous staggering sticking stickling straining strolling suspecting suspicious tender tentative thorough thoughtful timid toddling tortoiselike tottering trudging turtlelike unadventurous uncommunicative unconvincible uncredulous undaring unenterprising unhurried unpersuadable unpersuasible unprecipitate unwilling to accept vigilant waddling wary watchful