Words / C1

KAV-ee-at/ˈkæviæt/

A caveat is a stated warning that the claim is not true in every case: useful results, with one caveat. Warning is everyday; proviso is a close legal cousin. Native academic writers put a caveat after a bold sentence so they are not overclaiming. With the caveat that… is a set pattern. In speech, but bear in mind is enough; caveat can sound like a seminar.

Meaning

A warning that something may not be true in every case.

Examples

• “The results are useful, with one caveat: the group was small.”
• “The app is fast, with the caveat that it needs a constant signal.”
• “I recommend the book, with one caveat: the last chapter is thin.”

Good to know

a caveat / with the caveat that…. Formal/academic. Everyday: warning / but note that….

Near in meaning

proviso

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