adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dangerous
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English da(u)ngerous “domineering, fraught with danger,” from Old French dangereus “threatening, difficult,” equivalent to dangier ( see danger) + -eus -ous
Explanation
Use the word dangerous to describe anything that can potentially cause serious harm, like a snarling pit bull or an icy, treacherous road. The earliest meaning of the word dangerous was "difficult or arrogant." When Geoffrey Chaucer wrote "The Canterbury Tales" in the 1300s, he used dangerous to mean "hard to please." Gradually the meaning changed, so that by the late fifteenth century, dangerous meant "liable to cause hurt" or "risky." Just as popular were two other danger-related words that we don't use anymore today: dangersome and dangerful, which at the time could be used interchangeably with dangerous.
Vocabulary lists containing dangerous
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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.
“We still deserve answers about why he was shot, how the ICE agents involved conducted themselves, and whether those agents faced any disciplinary action for their dangerous and aggressive conduct,” Torres said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Investigators probing Sunday’s deadly crash are trying to learn what led the pilots to fly into a dangerous thunderstorm capable of ice, hail and turbulence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
"This is a dangerous fight," Paul said in a social media video.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
In other words, the brain's representations of safe and dangerous experiences became less distinct.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Eventually she becomes at ease, convinced, at least enough, that me sitting in her seat hasn’t caused me to behave in any abnormal or dangerous ways, and that I don’t plan to ransack her workstation.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
