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precarious

pre·car·i·ous
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [pri-kair-ee-uh s]
    • /prɪˈkɛər i əs/
    • /prɪˈkeə.ri.əs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [pri-kair-ee-uh s]
    • /prɪˈkɛər i əs/

Definitions of precarious word

  • adjective precarious dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure: a precarious livelihood. 1
  • adjective precarious dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration. 1
  • adjective precarious exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky: the precarious life of an underseas diver. 1
  • adjective precarious having insufficient, little, or no foundation: a precarious assumption. 1
  • adjective precarious situation: unstable 1
  • adjective precarious hazardous 1

Information block about the term

Origin of precarious

First appearance:

before 1640
One of the 44% oldest English words
First recorded in 1640-50, precarious is from the Latin word precārius “obtained by entreaty or mere favor” (hence uncertain). See prayer1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Precarious

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

precarious popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 74% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

precarious usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for precarious

adj precarious

adjective precarious

  • aquake — Quaking.
  • dodgy — inclined to dodge.
  • doubtable — (uncommon) Capable of being doubted; doubtful; dubious; dubitable. See usage notes below.
  • dynamite — A high explosive consisting of nitroglycerine mixed with an absorbent material and typically molded into sticks.
  • emotionable — (rare, of a person or group or of their behavior or faculties) Particularly expressive of or affected by emotion.

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See also

Matching words

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