precarious
dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
Origin of precarious
1synonym study For precarious
Other words for precarious
Opposites for precarious
Other words from precarious
- pre·car·i·ous·ly, adverb
- pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
- su·per·pre·car·i·ous, adjective
- su·per·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
- un·pre·car·i·ous, adjective
- un·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
Words Nearby precarious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use precarious in a sentence
But he has somehow leapt to a higher plateau during the last few years—all the more amazing given his precarious health.
Somebody else suggests that the evidence is precarious, coming as it does from victims who might not make confident witnesses.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero | Clive Irving | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was a precarious life, tented on the fairgrounds with all earnings in cash.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending | Anne Berry | September 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe incident highlights the precarious state of Afghanistan as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from the country.
Their harrowing escape to Erbil has ended in a precarious and hardscrabble existence.
Church Bells Fall Silent in Mosul as Iraq’s Christians Flee | Andrew Doran, Drew Bowling | June 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When riding along a good road his position was precarious enough, requiring all his best efforts to maintain his balance.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeTo what sad, precarious, and miserable existence does he vow himself—he who takes up a literary career?
Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile GautierShe had felt that no really nice girl would travel so far on so precarious an errand, particularly when she was alone.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts RinehartUm could reach the highest shelf without standing on an inverted rice-pot, or the even more precarious fish-cleaning bench.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaThe life of the forest and desert hunters is one of incessant activity, and their food supply is precarious.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
British Dictionary definitions for precarious
/ (prɪˈkɛərɪəs) /
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
archaic dependent on another's will
Origin of precarious
1Derived forms of precarious
- precariously, adverb
- precariousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse