precipitous
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of or characterized by precipices.
a precipitous wall of rock.
-
extremely or impassably steep.
precipitous mountain trails.
- Synonyms:
- perpendicular, sheer, abrupt
adjective
-
resembling a precipice or characterized by precipices
-
very steep
-
hasty or precipitate
Usage
The use of precipitous to mean hasty is thought by some people to be incorrect
Other Word Forms
- precipitously adverb
- precipitousness noun
- unprecipitous adjective
- unprecipitously adverb
- unprecipitousness noun
Etymology
Origin of precipitous
1640–50; < obsolete French précipiteux; precipitate, -ous
Explanation
A sharp, steep drop — whether it's in a stock price, a roller coaster, or a star's popularity — could be described as a precipitous one. Put simply, precipitous means perilously steep. Look closely and you'll spot most of the word precipice (a sheer, almost vertical cliff) in precipitous. Now imagine how you'd feel standing at the edge peering over, and you'll grasp the sense of impending danger that precipitous tends to imply. Precipitous declines in sales lead to bankruptcy. Precipitous mountainside hiking trails are not for the acrophobic. It can describe an ascent, but precipitous is most often used for things going literally or figuratively downhill.
Vocabulary lists containing precipitous
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The Kite Runner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The episode also provides an opportunity to reflect on Woods’ meteoric rise, sustained excellence and precipitous decline on the golf course, his scandal-plagued personal life and what the future might hold.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The average distance that MLB center fielders have moved back since 2015, contributing to a precipitous decline in the number of doubles and triples hit in the majors last season.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
The precipitous decline in gold probably demonstrates simply where the leverage was in the market.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
Wages for the top parts of the income distribution in the U.S. were on a precipitous rise, driven in part by the bifurcation of wages in a U-shaped labor market External link.
From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025
I breathe in the difference of being on this earth now and maybe not tomorrow, the precipitous edge of something new for me but as ancient as the beginning of time.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
