precarious
[pri-kair-ee-uhs]
- 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- dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.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.
Show More
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 on Thesaurus.com1. unsure, unsteady. 2. doubtful, dubious, unreliable, undependable. 3. hazardous. 4. groundless, baseless, unfounded.
Synonym study
1. See uncertain.
Antonyms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
vulnerabilityoscillationfluctuationalternationimmaturityvacillationhesitationinsecuritypliancydisquietunsteadinesswaveringinquietudefluidityweaknessirresolutionfrailtyinconsistencyvolatilityanxietyExamples from the Web for precariousness
Contemporary Examples
The cops rightly sensed the precariousness of the situation.
In doing so, it highlights the precariousness of sudden surges.
Historical Examples
A flash of lightning revealed the precariousness of the situation.
Prairie FlowersJames B. Hendryx
If I needed anything to perfect the precariousness of my steering, it was just that.
What Is Man? And Other StoriesMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
He was supremely conscious of the precariousness of his situation.
When God Laughs and Other StoriesJack London
Consider for a moment the precariousness of the life of an insect!
Jungle FolkDouglas Dewar
He felt, with a sense of great weakness, the precariousness of his job.
Turns about TownRobert Cortes Holliday
precarious
- liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
- archaic dependent on another's will
Show More
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 precariousness
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.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper