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:
While September’s dreadful average return has been known for years, statisticians constantly reminded us that, absent a plausible rationale, it’s too risky to bet on a poor September.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
By late 2022, 70% of FHA borrowers had debt-to-income ratios exceeding 43%, which is generally considered risky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Among investors, one of those perennial stories is the young swashbuckling genius who comes out of nowhere, racks up gigantic gains on risky bets, attracts massive amounts of money, then crashes and burns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
In Fujian, nearly 99,000 people were relocated from "risky areas" on Saturday evening ahead of the storm's arrival, state news agency Xinhua reported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
On the contrary, it should recognize that they will all be risky, for we find this to be in the order of things: that whenever we try to avoid one disadvantage, we run into another.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
JPMorgan has announced the bank would use its own capital to invest directly in companies it has defined as critical to national security and economic self-sufficiency, an inherently riskier strategy but also potentially more profitable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Now for a second question: Over that same 30-year period, which of those two ETFs was riskier?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
It serves as a conduit between riskier, volatile cryptocurrencies and the conventional finance system, essentially used as an offshore dollar.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
For now, the humble paper check remains too deeply woven into the fabric of American life to truly rest in peace — even if writing one means playing a riskier game with swindlers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
But now, to clear that and potentially close the deal far later than he’d hoped, Ellison is making his riskiest and costliest bet yet: going to trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
He began with moves meant to make military service more attractive: fixed-term contracts for new recruits, with the option to defer further service, and better salaries, especially for the riskiest roles.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The riskiest segments included administrative support, data entry, bookkeeping, and editing, said the study.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
Resurrecting the slogan is perhaps the riskiest approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 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.
