precarious
Americanadjective
-
dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; insecure.
a precarious livelihood.
- Synonyms:
- indeterminate, unsure
- Antonyms:
- secure
-
dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another.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
-
exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky.
the precarious life of an underseas diver.
- Synonyms:
- hazardous
- Antonyms:
- safe
-
having insufficient, little, or no foundation.
a precarious assumption.
- Synonyms:
- unfounded, baseless, groundless
- Antonyms:
- well-founded
adjective
-
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
-
archaic dependent on another's will
Related Words
See uncertain.
Other Word Forms
- precariously adverb
- precariousness noun
- superprecarious adjective
- superprecariousness noun
- unprecarious adjective
- unprecariousness noun
Etymology
Origin of precarious
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin precārius “obtained by entreaty; given as a favor; borrowed; uncertain”; prayer 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many of these workers take low paid or precarious jobs, and have little access to things like healthcare, the ILO says.
From BBC
The situation is so precarious that Prime Minister Koo Yun Cheol has suggested that, for the first time in 35 years, driving restrictions may be imposed on the public to restrict energy consumption.
From MarketWatch
He was treading in precarious territory, he felt.
From Literature
Among the region’s architectural highlights are the ramshackle row houses of the ancient Penedo village and the precarious seaside village of Azenhas do Mar with its white cottages clinging to coastal cliffs.
The mood is tense and uneasy, befitting a number about the precarious state of life on Earth.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
