Antonyms for precarious
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : pri-kair-ee-uhs |
| Phonetic Transcription : prɪˈkɛər i əs |
Definition of precarious
Origin :- 1640s, a legal word, "held through the favor of another," from Latin precarius "obtained by asking or praying," from prex (genitive precis) "entreaty, prayer" (see pray). Notion of "dependent on the will of another" led to extended sense "risky, dangerous, uncertain" (1680s). "No word is more unskillfully used than this with its derivatives. It is used for uncertain in all its senses; but it only means uncertain, as dependent on others ..." [Johnson]. Related: Precariously; precariousness.
- adj tricky, doubtful
- In any case, it was evident that Italian opera was a precarious enterprise.
- Extract from : « Handel » by Edward J. Dent
- Never had he been so fond of this body of his as now when his tenure of it was so precarious.
- Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
- Our agriculture is precarious, and 27 every carrot is bought by the sweat of our brow.
- Extract from : « Mountain Meditations » by L. Lind-af-Hageby
- Such grounds are precarious, as arguments from style and plan are apt to be (Greek).
- Extract from : « Euthydemus » by Plato
- But all this is precarious, and will change with your fortune.
- Extract from : « The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IX » by Various
- Life is precarious as the fall of a die at best an ephemeral business.
- Extract from : « The Tavern Knight » by Rafael Sabatini
- The buying of cheap bills is, however, a most precarious operation.
- Extract from : « Elements of Foreign Exchange » by Franklin Escher
- He paused and swaggered a little on the precarious support of his cracker box.
- Extract from : « Hidden Water » by Dane Coolidge
- We must save it, at all events—but look how precarious the position is—and why?
- Extract from : « Heart of Darkness » by Joseph Conrad
- But most of all they resemble us in their precarious hold on life.
- Extract from : « Notes on Life and Letters » by Joseph Conrad
Synonyms for precarious
- ambiguous
- borderline
- chancy
- contingent
- dangerous
- delicate
- dicey
- dubious
- dynamite
- equivocal
- hairy
- hanging by a thread
- hazardous
- iffy
- impugnable
- indecisive
- insecure
- loaded
- on thin ice
- open
- out on a limb
- perilous
- problematic
- risky
- rocky
- rugged
- sensitive
- shaky
- slippery
- ticklish
- touch and go
- touchy
- uncertain
- unhealthy
- unreliable
- unsafe
- unsettled
- unstable
- unsteady
- unsure
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019