adjective
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involving great risk
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depending on chance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hazardous
Explanation
The noun "hazard" means something dangerous, and the adjective hazardous refers to anything that involves danger. A golf course with lots of sand traps is especially hazardous for golfers. That's why those traps are called hazards. If your car blows a tire in the middle of the night, make sure to turn on your hazard lights. Being invisible to other drivers is hazardous to everyone, especially yourself. Life is, by definition, hazardous. It's full of dangers, both obvious and otherwise. Acknowledge that fact and keep going anyway. If you spend all your time focusing on what's hazardous, you end up missing all the wonderful things in life.
Vocabulary lists containing hazardous
"The Banana Tree," Vocabulary from the short story
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Divergent
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List 7
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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.
Retired local mechanic Brahim Gashi, whose brother died from throat cancer, said locals didn't need statistics to know what they were breathing in was hazardous.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
New claims are emerging about the risks residents faced after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed near East Palestine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Levels below 65% are considered hazardous fire conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The UK government regulates phthalates as hazardous chemical substances but they are used in cosmetics, fragrances and food packaging.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“A hazardous voyage, I assume. For a start, you said?”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
