precarious
[ pri-kair-ee-uhs ]
/ prɪˈkɛər i əs /
adjective
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dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.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.
RELATED CONTENT
Yeet, Payola, And Other Trending Words On Dictionary.comRapper feuds. Football celebrations. There’s a lot going on in this week’s trending words list. Payola A feud between rappers Nicki Minaj and Cardi B ballooned to new heights this week, with Cardi allegedly throwing a shoe at Nicki and the Starships singer accusing the I Like It rapper of earning her success thanks to payola. So what’s payola? Clearly that was the question on …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
precancel, precancer, precancerous, precapillary, precariat, precariousness, precariously, precarity, precartilage, precast, precative
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 FOR precarious
3 hazardous.
ANTONYMS FOR precarious
Related forms
Synonym study
1. See uncertain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for precariousness
British Dictionary definitions for precariousness
precarious
/ (prɪˈkɛərɪəs) /
adjective
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
archaic dependent on another's will
Derived Formsprecariously, adverbprecariousness, noun
Word 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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for precariousness
precarious
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper