calculated risk

American  

noun

1. a chance of failure, the probability of which is estimated before some action is undertaken.

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calculated risk Idioms  

1. A chance taken after careful estimation of the probable outcome, as in Taking their dispute to arbitration was definitely a calculated risk. This term uses calculated in the sense of “planned with forethought,” a usage from the mid-1800s. Its pairing with risk dates from World War II, when the chances for losing bombers were taken into account before a bombing mission was sent out. After the war the term was transferred to other undertakings where taking a chance to succeed had to be weighed against the costs of failure.

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Example Sentences

Was it a calculated risk or stubborn foolishness?

From Los Angeles Times

For the NFL, the blowback was a calculated risk as the league makes a push to globalize its fan base.

From Los Angeles Times

"It doesn't sound like much, but everything in life is a calculated risk," Schmerr noted.

From Science Daily

You increase the probability you will have good luck by taking calculated risk, smart risk.

From The Wall Street Journal

My calculated risk was worth taking: I was asked to run financial institutions, and my immediate instinct was, No, that is so boring.

From The Wall Street Journal