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.

Taylor Morrison is a safer bet in a precarious home-building market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The already precarious labor market is being eviscerated by further automation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

While many seafarers stuck in the region have not been abandoned, the conflict has made an already precarious situation even more dangerous for those who are.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Oil prices were on track for another weekly gain as the global energy situation becomes more and more precarious.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Yasuko materialized next, just below my precarious stance, but was flummoxed by the last and steepest portion of the Step.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Vocabulary lists containing precarious

Grade 11, List 3

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A Doll's House

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John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

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