adjective
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involving great risk
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depending on chance
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Paul O'Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers and Nicola Wheatley died after paddleboarding in "extremely hazardous conditions" on the Western Cleddau river in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October 2021.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
The updated permit also allows the site to temporarily store and move some hazardous and clinical waste, although these materials will not be burned there.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Additionally, a reference to the vapor release came in a hazardous materials spill report issued on May 21 by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
It is difficult, even hazardous work, requiring special suits and involving chemicals with high pH levels.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
