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dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another.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.
It is closer to music than epic, a mesmerizing suite of songs that conveys Tennyson’s private sorrow as he vacillates from unbearable agony to precarious hope.
"For Norway, the United States is a much bigger concern today when it comes to Svalbard, because it is more likely to carry out an operation that could destabilise the territory's precarious balance," he said.
From Barron's
The former boss of collapsed construction giant Carillion has been fined by the UK's finance watchdog for acting "recklessly" and misleading others over the firm's precarious financial position.
From BBC
That precarious financial state makes these hospitals particularly vulnerable to any change.
From Los Angeles Times
The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
