risky
Americanadjective
-
riskier,
comparative
-
riskiest
superlative
adjective
Usage
What does risky mean? Risky describes something that involves risk or hazards, as in Walking a tightrope without a net below is risky. Risky is almost always used to describe an action taken that could lead to negative consequences, such as when you decide not to study for your final exams. Example: Working as a firefighter is a risky but worthwhile job.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of risky
Explanation
Risky things are a little bit dangerous. It would be risky for you to attempt to hike up a mountain in the wintertime without the proper gear. Physically hazardous things are risky, like a risky sky diving trick or a risky airplane landing attempt in high winds. It can also be risky to do something that makes you feel vulnerable, like telling someone how much you like them, or reading your poem in front of an audience. People commonly talk about money using risky too: "I think your brother's food truck would be a risky investment."
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.
See Examples For:
Rising rates tend to suck the froth out of markets by making risky assets look less attractive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Jassim says posting the videos is risky both for herself and for the women concerned.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Sudan's ongoing civil war has led to a surge in artisanal mining - an often risky practice conducted by civilians with rudimentary tools and without official permission - particularly in remote areas near its borders.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Leveraged ETFs are generally risky and take big swings.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Here, alone in this place, it’s too risky.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Junk bonds are riskier to own than investment-grade debt because the companies that issue them tend to have heavier debt loads relative to cash flows.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
A new generation of individual investors discovered the markets during the post-Covid rally, and by early 2021 many amateur traders were pushing into more complicated, and often riskier, bets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Even Meta has had to offer more than 7 percent a year, while riskier cloud data center specialists have gone above 9 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
As a result, foreign money tends to leave riskier emerging market assets such as Indian equities and chase safer investments like US bonds when interest rates rise.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
The losses started with the riskiest and most indebted companies, like CoreWeave, but by Friday were showing up in data-center bonds with investment-grade ratings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Tom Cruise has dangled from cliffs, skyscrapers and planes, but oil magnate Digger Rockwell is his riskiest role in eons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
They’re also proof that pure mathematicians have a role to play in taming the mightiest and riskiest technology of our time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
While take-off and landing are aviation's riskiest phases, fatal accidents immediately after lift-off are uncommon.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The borrowers were failing to make interest payments sufficient to pay off the riskiest subprime bonds.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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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.
