precipitous
[pri-sip-i-tuh s]
- of the nature of or characterized by precipices: a precipitous wall of rock.
- extremely or impassably steep: precipitous mountain trails.
- precipitate.
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Origin of precipitous
Synonyms
See more synonyms for precipitous on Thesaurus.com2. abrupt, sheer, perpendicular.
Antonyms
1, 2. flat, level.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for precipitous
Contemporary Examples
Mars Hill Church leaders blamed bad publicity for the precipitous drop in attendance and tithes.
This sort of precipitous drop can reflect gyrations in the price of gas.
Part of the reason for this precipitous decline is likely climate change.
The plea deal represents a precipitous fall from grace, writes John Avlon.
In 1965, despite the precipitous decline in the worker-to-retiree ratio, Social Security paid its bills with a 2.2% payroll tax.
Historical Examples
Behind us rises a precipitous hill, tree-clad to the summit.
Afloat on the OhioReuben Gold Thwaites
We followed the lower valleys up to their precipitous heads.
A Set of SixJoseph Conrad
The latter were precipitous, especially on the side of the plain, and chiefly in forest.
The PioneersJames Fenimore Cooper
The gorge is deep and exceedingly narrow, and the sides are precipitous.
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and CoastsRosalind Northcote
The sides of the ravine were so precipitous that no man could scale them unaided.
South American Fights and FightersCyrus Townsend Brady
precipitous
- resembling a precipice or characterized by precipices
- very steep
- hasty or precipitate
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usage
The use of precipitous to mean hasty is thought by some people to be incorrect
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 precipitous
adj.
1640s, "rash, headlong," from obsolete French precipiteux (16c.), from Vulgar Latin *praecipitosus, from praecipitare (see precipitation). Related: Precipitously; precipitousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper