perilous
adjective
Synonyms
- dangerous
- grave
- grievous
- hazardous
- jeopardizing
- menacing
- parlous
- risky
- serious
- threatening
- unhealthy
- unsafe
- venturesome
Example Sentences
San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 But to get to this euphoric point, there was an arduous, dangerous and emotionally fraught journey, even beyond the perilous boat ride. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 The sprightliest biker had arrived home panting, having cycled up the final, perilous hill with several bottles of gin in his backpack, ideal for the apertivo hour. Tara Isabella Burton, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 Bedwell, 48, will set off from St. Johns, Newfoundland in May and make the perilous 1,900-mile crossing to Lizard Point in Cornwall on England’s west coast, hoping to set a new record for the smallest vessel to ever sail across the Pond. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2022 Attaching the aid to the larger stopgap bill could prove perilous for the entire bill. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2022 The winds make Weed and the surrounding area a perilous place for wildfires, whipping small flames into a frenzy. Adam Beam And Kathleen Ronayne, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Sep. 2022 The winds make Weed and the surrounding area a perilous place for wildfires, whipping small flames into a frenzy. CBS News, 5 Sep. 2022 The Focus Features film, releasing Oct. 7, stars Blanchett as the fictional Lydia Tár, a globally renowned, gay and sometimes tyrannical conductor of a German orchestra, who finds herself in the crosshairs of a perilous #MeToo scandal. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 2 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English perilous, perelous, borrowed from Anglo-French perilleus, perillous, going back to Latin perīculōsus, from perīculum "test, risk, peril entry 1" + -ōsus -ous
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
perilous
adjective
perilous
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- dangerous
- hazardous
- risky
- serious
- precarious
- unsafe
- treacherous
- menacing
- threatening
- unhealthy
- grave
- jeopardizing
- parlous
- grievous
- uncertain
- fatal
- venturesome
- random
- unpleasant
- destructive
- detrimental
- deadly
- harmful
- dicey
- adverse
- lethal
- haphazard
- bad
- sickening
- fell
- insecure
- murderous
- injurious
- pernicious
- chance
- ugly
- distressing
- dire
- fateful
- evil
- malignant
- deleterious
- nasty
- wicked
- noxious
- mortal
- inimical
- ultrahazardous
- hurtful
- ill
- killer
- baneful
- deathly
- pestilent
- baleful
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- safe
- innocuous
- harmless
- advantageous
- beneficial
- innocent
- good
- nonhazardous
- nonthreatening
- unthreatening
- ultrasafe
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of perilous are dangerous, hazardous, precarious, and risky. While all these words mean "bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury," perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.
The words dangerous and perilous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.
The synonyms hazardous and perilous are sometimes interchangeable, but hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.
While in some cases nearly identical to perilous, precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.
In some situations, the words risky and perilous are roughly equivalent. However, risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.