risky
Americanadjective
-
riskier,
comparative
-
riskiest
superlative
adjective
Usage
What does risky mean? Risky describes something that involves risk or hazards, as in Walking a tightrope without a net below is risky. Risky is almost always used to describe an action taken that could lead to negative consequences, such as when you decide not to study for your final exams. Example: Working as a firefighter is a risky but worthwhile job.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of risky
Explanation
Risky things are a little bit dangerous. It would be risky for you to attempt to hike up a mountain in the wintertime without the proper gear. Physically hazardous things are risky, like a risky sky diving trick or a risky airplane landing attempt in high winds. It can also be risky to do something that makes you feel vulnerable, like telling someone how much you like them, or reading your poem in front of an audience. People commonly talk about money using risky too: "I think your brother's food truck would be a risky investment."
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.
See Examples For:
To attract crews for these risky trips, ship management companies are offering sailors double or triple pay and bonuses of up to $25,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
There are several ways in which you can place a bet on a big move in either direction, though many of those strategies are risky.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
He said that Walker had lost millions of dollars in recent months through a series of risky financial moves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Marc Guehi: The centre-back had to take up some risky positions as England pressed man for man all over the pitch.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Biologists might have blanched at trying to describe the “gene molecule” on purely hypothetical grounds—but what physicist could resist taking a ramble in weird, risky territory?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Even Meta has had to offer more than 7 percent a year, while riskier cloud data center specialists have gone above 9 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
As a result, foreign money tends to leave riskier emerging market assets such as Indian equities and chase safer investments like US bonds when interest rates rise.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Erisa fiduciaries, the brief says, “are not required to adopt a riskier strategy simply because that strategy may increase returns.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Because revenue bonds, which would be used to fund this program, are riskier than other bonds, investors might demand a higher return, translating to a higher interest rate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Something that made them think it’d be riskier to educate him than to sacrifice his possible contributions to society.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Tom Cruise has dangled from cliffs, skyscrapers and planes, but oil magnate Digger Rockwell is his riskiest role in eons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
"This was a high-stakes, high-wire return, perhaps the riskiest comeback in the history of showbusiness," McCormick continues, referring to her health condition.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
This is the riskiest part of the voyage and the state oil companies are now more willing to shoulder this burden.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
In that case, why not buy the riskiest stocks that will boom the most?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
It's the riskiest position in the hydrant roll, but everyone starts in that job.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
