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dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
Origin of precarious
1synonym study For precarious
Other words for precarious
Opposites for precarious
Other words from precarious
- pre·car·i·ous·ly, adverb
- pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
- su·per·pre·car·i·ous, adjective
- su·per·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
- un·pre·car·i·ous, adjective
- un·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use precarious in a sentence
The FSO Nabarima’s precarious situation has worried activists and governments for months.
A stranded oil tanker at risk of spilling in the Caribbean looks to be safe — for now | Jariel Arvin | October 22, 2020 | VoxIf your drive has problems at the hardware level, though, things get more precarious.
Did your hard drive crash? Here’s how to know if it’s safe to use again. | Whitson Gordon | October 9, 2020 | Popular-ScienceGirls from poor families living in precarious conditions are more vulnerable to such long-distance and cross-regional marriages.
Three Women: Stories Of Indian Trafficked Brides | LGBTQ-Editor | October 5, 2020 | No Straight NewsJoshua Motta, CEO of Coalition, a cybersecurity insurance startup, said the Treasury’s hardline approach puts ransomware victims “in an even more precarious position” than they were in already.
Ransomware victims find themselves between a rock and a hard place | rhhackettfortune | October 2, 2020 | FortuneEven in the short term, the bet is paying off by protecting networks’ advertising businesses in a precarious financial climate.
‘This was the zeitgeist year’: How TV networks sold advertisers on streaming in this year’s upfront | Tim Peterson | September 30, 2020 | Digiday
The cops rightly sensed the precariousness of the situation.
The Black and White Men Who Saved Martin Luther King’s Life | Michael Daly | January 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn doing so, it highlights the precariousness of sudden surges.
She remembered a certain precariousness of tenure among some of her previous—mental reservations.
Joan of the Sword Hand | S(amuel) R(utherford) CrockettSuch an error as this shows the precariousness of historical testimony, even where it seems to be best grounded.
As much perhaps from the precariousness of their situation as from a reckless daring, they could not brook the least delay.
The Felon's Track | Michael DohenyPerhaps the precariousness of her situation even turns my anxieties more strongly towards her.
Discipline | Mary BruntonThe chief defects of Lindley are its self-sterility and precariousness in bearing, and its lack of adaptation to many soils.
The Grapes of New York | U. P. Hedrick
British Dictionary definitions for precarious
/ (prɪˈkɛərɪəs) /
liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
archaic dependent on another's will
Origin of precarious
1Derived forms of precarious
- precariously, adverb
- precariousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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