precarious
[ pri-kair-ee-uhs ]
/ prɪˈkɛər i əs /
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adjective
dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.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.
SYNONYMS FOR precarious
3 hazardous.
ANTONYMS FOR precarious
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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
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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
synonym study for precarious
1. See uncertain.
OTHER WORDS FROM precarious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for precarious
British Dictionary definitions for precarious
precarious
/ (prɪˈkɛərɪəs) /
adjective
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
archaic dependent on another's will
Derived forms of precarious
precariously, adverbprecariousness, nounWord Origin for precarious
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
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