perilously

[per-uh-luhs-lee]

adverb

1. in a way or to a degree that is full of grave risk or peril; dangerously.

   That lighthouse has always been perilously close to the ever-eroding cliffs.

Other Word Forms

• nonperilously adverb
• unperilously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of perilously¹

perilous ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Aaron Judge understood that as he dug into the batter’s box in the fourth inning on Tuesday night, with the fate of the 2025 New York Yankees hanging perilously in the balance.

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In recent years, the seven states have adopted a series of incremental water-saving plans to try to prevent the reservoirs from reaching perilously low levels.

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Without him, the Trojans will enter the season perilously thin on the interior.

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An extreme drought worsened by climate change had sent reservoirs dropping to perilously low levels, prompting severe water restrictions.

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We have problems, naturally, not the least of which is the massive wealth inequality that distorts our economy, our culture and our politics so much that we are now perilously close to full-on oligarchy.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• alarmingly www.thesaurus.com
• critically 
• desperately 
• precariously 
• recklessly 
• seriously 
• severely