precarious

[ pri-kair-ee-uhs ]

adjective

1. dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; insecure:

   a precarious livelihood.

   Synonyms: indeterminate, unsure

   Antonyms: secure

2. dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: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.

   Synonyms: undependable, unreliable, dubious, doubtful

   Antonyms: reliable

3. exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky:

   the precarious life of an underseas diver.

   Synonyms: hazardous

   Antonyms: safe

4. having insufficient, little, or no foundation:

   a precarious assumption.

   Synonyms: unfounded, baseless, groundless

   Antonyms: well-founded

precarious

/ prɪˈkɛərɪəs /

adjective

1. liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
2. archaic.
   dependent on another's will

Derived Forms

• preˈcariously, adverb
• preˈcariousness, noun

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of precarious¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin precārius “obtained by entreaty; given as a favor; borrowed; uncertain”; prayer ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of precarious¹

C17: from Latin precārius obtained by begging (hence, dependent on another's will), from prex prayer ¹

Synonym Study

See uncertain.

Example Sentences

While places like Buca di Beppo are hardly independent restaurants, presumably Fieri’s restaurant concept keeps some members of the service industry employed at a time when restaurant work is precarious.

From Eater

The unique challenges some older people in the US face with digital access is making a precarious situation worse for them.

From Vox

As gender non-conforming persons, our natal homes can often render our wellbeing precarious.

From Quartz

An absolutely global union would have no such motivation, making it far more precarious.

From Nautilus

Indeed, after watching Bridgerton, I concluded in my review that “its most interesting ideas — like Simon’s precarious place in society as a duke of color or his mysterious time abroad — get almost no attention.”

From Vox

But he has somehow leapt to a higher plateau during the last few years—all the more amazing given his precarious health.

From The Daily Beast

Somebody else suggests that the evidence is precarious, coming as it does from victims who might not make confident witnesses.

From The Daily Beast

It was a precarious life, tented on the fairgrounds with all earnings in cash.

From The Daily Beast

The incident highlights the precarious state of Afghanistan as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from the country.

From The Daily Beast

Their harrowing escape to Erbil has ended in a precarious and hardscrabble existence.

From The Daily Beast

When riding along a good road his position was precarious enough, requiring all his best efforts to maintain his balance.

From Project Gutenberg

To what sad, precarious, and miserable existence does he vow himself—he who takes up a literary career?

From Project Gutenberg

She had felt that no really nice girl would travel so far on so precarious an errand, particularly when she was alone.

From Project Gutenberg

Um could reach the highest shelf without standing on an inverted rice-pot, or the even more precarious fish-cleaning bench.

From Project Gutenberg

The life of the forest and desert hunters is one of incessant activity, and their food supply is precarious.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dangerous
• delicate
• dicey
• hazardous
• insecure
• perilous
• problematic
• risky
• rocky
• shaky
• slippery
• ticklish
• touchy
• uncertain
• unhealthy
• unreliable
• unsettled
• unstable
• unsteady