precariously
Americanadverb
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in an unstable, uncertain, or insecure way.
The two archrivals sit precariously balanced at the top of the league, either one likely to fall in the standings at any time.
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in a way that is dependent on the will of others.
They live precariously, subject to arrest by immigration authorities, and with taxes withheld from paychecks that they cannot reclaim.
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in a way that is risky or dangerous; perilously.
He steadies the canoe as his son stands precariously in the bow, aiming his spear toward the river.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of precariously
Explanation
If something is happening or positioned precariously, it's in danger. A glass could be precariously balanced on the edge of a table. If something is on the verge of danger, then the word precariously fits. You're living precariously if you jump up and down on a lake that's not totally frozen. In your late teens, you're precariously close to the brink of adulthood. When you have one college class left, you're precariously close to having to find a job. Some people like living precariously: they enjoy danger. Other people just get stressed out and prefer to live carefully.
Vocabulary lists containing precariously
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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A Raisin in the Sun
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The Lightning Thief
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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.
He wrote the foreword for the scholarly book “California Grizzly” and from his Montana home keeps an eye on the well-being of his home state’s precariously small colony of grizzlies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Oil supplies in the SPR stand precariously close to what could be a limit.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The fuel hangs precariously from the sides of his bike, strapped on with rope and string.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Mr. Popkin shows how the abolitionist cause was buffeted by power struggles in Continental France—sometimes advanced by the currents of ideological debate, sometimes hindered or sidelined—to emerge precariously triumphant in 1794.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
She stood watching him as he finished lighting the candle stubs that stood on saucers around the room, perched precariously on stacks of books and on side tables crammed with cracked and moldy cups.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
