precarious
Americanadjective
-
dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; insecure.
a precarious livelihood.
- Synonyms:
- indeterminate, unsure
- Antonyms:
- secure
-
dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another.
He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
- Synonyms:
- undependable, unreliable, dubious, doubtful
- Antonyms:
- reliable
-
exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky.
the precarious life of an underseas diver.
- Synonyms:
- hazardous
- Antonyms:
- safe
-
having insufficient, little, or no foundation.
a precarious assumption.
- Synonyms:
- unfounded, baseless, groundless
- Antonyms:
- well-founded
adjective
-
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
-
archaic dependent on another's will
Related Words
See uncertain.
Other Word Forms
- precariously adverb
- precariousness noun
- superprecarious adjective
- superprecariousness noun
- unprecarious adjective
- unprecariousness noun
Etymology
Origin of precarious
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin precārius “obtained by entreaty; given as a favor; borrowed; uncertain”; prayer 1
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.
As Los Padres National Forest spokesman Andrew Madsen warned, “the foothills of Santa Barbara are especially fragile and hiking is especially precarious in the aftermath of heavy rains.”
From Los Angeles Times
The result leaves Parker's side 19th in the table and in a precarious position six points from safety, having collected just two points from the last 33 on offer.
From BBC
AI seems to have found itself in a precarious paradox thus far: the more capable the tools become, the more intense the tsunami of slop.
From MarketWatch
Under the pressure of enormous change, bildung now came to mean “a precarious heritage under siege by rival nationalists.”
Many of the provisions from Mr. Johnson’s original budget remain, and bond-market watchers know the city’s debt makes city finances even more precarious.
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.
