precarious
[pri-kair-ee-uh s]
- dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure: a precarious livelihood.
- dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
- exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky: the precarious life of an underseas diver.
- having insufficient, little, or no foundation: a precarious assumption.
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Origin of precarious
First recorded in 1640–50, precarious is from the Latin word precārius “obtained by entreaty or mere favor” (hence uncertain). See prayer1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for precarious on Thesaurus.com1. unsure, unsteady. 2. doubtful, dubious, unreliable, undependable. 3. hazardous. 4. groundless, baseless, unfounded.
Synonym study
1. See uncertain.
Antonyms
1. secure. 2. reliable. 3. safe. 4. well-founded.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for precariously
Contemporary Examples
On the right side of the fall line, but precariously close to the precipice.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in BrazilAnnabel Langbein
November 29, 2013
Those women who are not alone are often only precariously coupled.
They're high, but not precariously so, and are being shown with thin black socks.
Historical Examples
Vine vigorous, precariously hardy, lacking in productiveness.
Manual of American Grape-GrowingU. P. Hedrick
It seemed to him he remained there precariously alone with the stanchion for a long, long time.
TyphoonJoseph Conrad
He labours to bear in mind, how undeservedly they are often bestowed, how precariously they are always possessed.
He was the son of Amoz, who has been (much too precariously) identified with a brother of Amaziah.
The Expositor's BibleF. W. Farrar
It then appeared how precariously it had stood for many years.
The Book of CuriositiesI. Platts
precarious
- liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
- archaic dependent on another's will
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Word Origin
C17: from Latin precārius obtained by begging (hence, dependent on another's will), from prex prayer 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for precariously
precarious
adj.
1640s, a legal word, "held through the favor of another," from Latin precarius "obtained by asking or praying," from prex (genitive precis) "entreaty, prayer" (see pray). Notion of "dependent on the will of another" led to extended sense "risky, dangerous, uncertain" (1680s). "No word is more unskillfully used than this with its derivatives. It is used for uncertain in all its senses; but it only means uncertain, as dependent on others ..." [Johnson]. Related: Precariously; precariousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper