Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for precarious. Search instead for precariousn.
Definitions

precarious

[pri-kair-ee-uhs] / prɪˈkɛər i əs /
ADJECTIVE
tricky, doubtful
Synonyms
STRONGEST
dangerous delicate dicey hazardous insecure perilous problematic risky rocky shaky slippery ticklish touchy uncertain unhealthy unreliable unsettled unstable unsteady
WEAK
ambiguous borderline chancy contingent dubious dynamite equivocal hairy hanging by a thread iffy impugnable indecisive loaded on thin ice open out on a limb rugged sensitive touch and go unsafe unsure
Antonyms
STRONGEST
certain definite guarded happy healthy protected reliable safe secure settled stable steady strong sure
WEAK
firm undoubted

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.

"Everyone has a right to a safe, warm, affordable secure home. That isn't the case for so many people. It is so precarious, especially for younger people."

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

And I don’t think that they would be as susceptible to the crime that happened if they weren’t in particularly precarious times in their life.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The mood is tense and uneasy, befitting a number about the precarious state of life on Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The sun is dying, and within 30 years, Earth’s temperature will cool to the point of global disaster, affecting crops, food sources, weather and humanity’s already precarious good nature.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

Built along a gentle slope of the mountain, Bithynios wasn’t a precarious, cliffside sort of place.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides