Protective or cautious, especially about sharing feelings or information; also physically protected or watched carefully.
From Old French 'garder' meaning 'to protect' or 'to watch,' possibly from Germanic 'ward' meaning 'guard.' The '-ed' makes it an adjective.
People who've been hurt develop 'guarded' personalities as a protective mechanism—their brains learned that revealing themselves caused pain, so they keep secrets even from people who care about them.
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