risk-averse
Americanadverb
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reluctant to take risks; tending to avoid risks as much as possible.
risk-averse entrepreneurs.
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of or noting a person who invests in stocks, bonds, etc., with lower risks and generally lower rates of return so as to minimize the possibility of financial loss.
risk-averse investors who stick with government bonds.
Etymology
Origin of risk-averse
First recorded in 1960–65; risk ( def. ) + averse ( def. )
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.
It is almost impossible to imagine this crisis persisting without it threatening the global economy, while also making investors more risk averse.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
If they are risk averse, they put >10 years of their net annual expenses in their fixed-income safety ballast and the rest in equities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Appearing before a gathering of business leaders near Kings Cross, Reynolds announced new guidance for the competition watchdog to be more agile, speedy, and less risk averse.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025
“I’m naturally risk averse so it was a difficult decision for me,” Sherman said about the fourth-down gamble.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2024
But many operators are so risk averse that, in effect, they increase the inefficiency of the market in order to avoid it.
From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel
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.
