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definitions

precarious

[pri-kair-ee-uhs]
See more synonyms for precarious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure: a precarious livelihood.
  2. dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
  3. exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky: the precarious life of an underseas diver.
  4. having insufficient, little, or no foundation: a precarious assumption.

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
Related formspre·car·i·ous·ly, adverbpre·car·i·ous·ness, nounsu·per·pre·car·i·ous, adjectivesu·per·pre·car·i·ous·ly, adverbsu·per·pre·car·i·ous·ness, nounun·pre·car·i·ous, adjectiveun·pre·car·i·ous·ly, adverbun·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms for precarious

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1. unsure, unsteady. 2. doubtful, dubious, unreliable, undependable. 3. hazardous. 4. groundless, baseless, unfounded.

Synonym study

1. See uncertain.

Antonyms for precarious

1. secure. 2. reliable. 3. safe. 4. well-founded.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for precariousness

vulnerability, oscillation, fluctuation, alternation, immaturity, vacillation, hesitation, insecurity, pliancy, disquiet, unsteadiness, wavering, inquietude, fluidity, weakness, irresolution, frailty, inconsistency, volatility, anxiety

Examples from the Web for precariousness

Contemporary Examples of precariousness

Historical Examples of precariousness

  • A flash of lightning revealed the precariousness of the situation.

    Prairie Flowers

    James B. Hendryx

  • If I needed anything to perfect the precariousness of my steering, it was just that.

    What Is Man? And Other Stories

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

  • He was supremely conscious of the precariousness of his situation.

  • Consider for a moment the precariousness of the life of an insect!

    Jungle Folk

    Douglas Dewar

  • He felt, with a sense of great weakness, the precariousness of his job.

    Turns about Town

    Robert Cortes Holliday

British Dictionary definitions for precariousness

precarious

adjective
  1. liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
  2. 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

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper