precipitous

[ pri-sip-i-tuhs ]
See synonyms for precipitous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of the nature of or characterized by precipices: a precipitous wall of rock.

  2. extremely or impassably steep: precipitous mountain trails.

Origin of precipitous

1
1640–50; <obsolete French précipiteux;see precipitate, -ous

Other words for precipitous

Opposites for precipitous

Other words from precipitous

  • pre·cip·i·tous·ly, adverb
  • pre·cip·i·tous·ness, noun
  • un·pre·cip·i·tous, adjective
  • un·pre·cip·i·tous·ly, adverb
  • un·pre·cip·i·tous·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with precipitous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use precipitous in a sentence

  • So precipitously had the guerrillas fled that except the severely wounded, few prisoners were taken.

  • On three sides, the cliffs rise so precipitously from the waves, that all access is impossible.

  • A few yards away, the hillside fell almost precipitously for perhaps a thousand feet to the tops of the pines below.

    The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
  • In a tiny glade, with the mountain walls rising precipitously for hundreds of feet, Talpers halted and gave three shrill whistles.

    Mystery Ranch | Arthur Chapman
  • It was bounded by the high, white chalk cliffs, which descended precipitously to the sea.

British Dictionary definitions for precipitous

precipitous

/ (prɪˈsɪpɪtəs) /


adjective
  1. resembling a precipice or characterized by precipices

  2. very steep

  1. hasty or precipitate

usage For precipitous

The use of precipitous to mean hasty is thought by some people to be incorrect

Derived forms of precipitous

  • precipitously, adverb
  • precipitousness, 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