dangerous

[deyn-jer-uh s, deynj-ruh s]

See more synonyms for dangerous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

full of danger or risk; causing danger; perilous; risky; hazardous; unsafe.
able or likely to cause physical injury: a dangerous criminal.

Origin of dangerous

1175–1225; Middle English da(u)ngerous domineering, fraught with danger < Old French dangereus threatening, difficult, equivalent to dangier (see danger) + -eus -ous

Related formsdan·ger·ous·ly, adverbdan·ger·ous·ness, nounnon·dan·ger·ous, adjectivenon·dan·ger·ous·ly, adverbnon·dan·ger·ous·ness, nounqua·si-dan·ger·ous, adjectivequa·si-dan·ger·ous·ly, adverbsem·i·dan·ger·ous, adjectivesem·i·dan·ger·ous·ly, adverbsem·i·dan·ger·ous·ness, nounun·dan·ger·ous, adjectiveun·dan·ger·ous·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dangerous

Contemporary Examples

An additonal 30,000 made it to Europe by other routes including commercial flights and dangerous overland passages.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 6, 2015
The most dangerous attacks are those that undermine your perceived strength.
Will Chris Christie Regret His Cowboy Hug?
Matt Lewis
January 5, 2015
There were also crashes not due to either mechanical or human error but to a lack of warning of dangerous conditions.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?
Clive Irving
January 4, 2015
The Wolf of Wall Street is a dangerous, incendiary work of art.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange
Marlow Stern
December 27, 2014
“I know that being a cop is dangerous but I must do it,” a friend remembered him saying, as reported in The New York Times.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops
Michael Daly
December 26, 2014

Historical Examples

What a dangerous character you'd be if you were sent to match silks!
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Philip was getting into a dangerous mood with his sentimentalism.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
My dear, I'm glad and thankful you've done with that dreadful, dangerous game.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
He had got a dangerous game to play, and his plans were vague and shadowy.
Life in London
Edwin Hodder
Such conduct is as wicked and dangerous to the state as any that can be conceived.
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part III]
Benedict of Spinoza

British Dictionary definitions for dangerous

dangerous

adjective

causing danger; perilous

Derived Formsdangerously, adverbdangerousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dangerous

adj.

early 13c., "difficult, arrogant, severe" (the opposite of affable), from Anglo-French dangerous, Old French dangeros (12c., Modern French dangereux), from danger (see danger).

In Chaucer, it means "hard to please, reluctant to give;" sense of "full of danger, risky" is from late 15c. Other words used in this sense included dangersome (1560s), dangerful (1540s). Related: Dangerously.

Idioms and Phrases with dangerous

dangerous

see little knowledge is a dangerous thing; live dangerously.

dangerous

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}dangerous

Examples from the Web for dangerous

Contemporary Examples

An additonal 30,000 made it to Europe by other routes including commercial flights and dangerous overland passages.

The most dangerous attacks are those that undermine your perceived strength.

There were also crashes not due to either mechanical or human error but to a lack of warning of dangerous conditions.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a dangerous, incendiary work of art.

“I know that being a cop is dangerous but I must do it,” a friend remembered him saying, as reported in The New York Times.

Historical Examples

What a dangerous character you'd be if you were sent to match silks!

Philip was getting into a dangerous mood with his sentimentalism.

My dear, I'm glad and thankful you've done with that dreadful, dangerous game.

He had got a dangerous game to play, and his plans were vague and shadowy.

Such conduct is as wicked and dangerous to the state as any that can be conceived.

dangerous

Word Origin and History for dangerous

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with dangerous

dangerous

Origin of dangerous