parlous

[pahr-luhs]

adjective

1. perilous; dangerous.

   parlous times;

   a cold and parlous winter.

2. Obsolete.,  clever; shrewd.

adverb

1. Rare.,  to a large extent; greatly.

parlous

/ ˈpɑːləs /

adjective

1. dangerous or difficult

2. cunning

adverb

1. extremely

Other Word Forms

• parlously adverb
• parlousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of parlous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of perlous, shortening of perilous

Word History and Origins

Origin of parlous¹

C14 perlous, variant of _perilous

Example Sentences

It's just that the world was in a parlous state.

From BBC

The parlous state of state hospitals, state schools, and state railways are all being used against Orban by Magyar and his party.

From BBC

It came in a speech primarily about the government's parlous economic inheritance.

From BBC

And of course a crucial part of that debate is the parlous economic situation inherited by the government which, those around the prime minister insist, necessitated unpleasant decisions which were always bound to be unpopular.

From BBC

There were also post-match chants against the Glazer family from home fans who stayed behind, determined to crank up pressure on the American majority owners, who they blame for United's parlous state.

From BBC