释义
[ pri-kair -ee-uh s ] SHOW IPA
/ prɪˈkɛər i əs / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR precarious ON THESAURUS.COM
adjective dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure: a precarious livelihood.
dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky: the precarious life of an underseas diver.
having insufficient, little, or no foundation: a precarious assumption.
Origin of precarious First recorded in 1640–50, precarious is from the Latin word precārius “obtained by entreaty or mere favor” (hence uncertain). See prayer1
SYNONYMS FOR precarious 1 unsure, unsteady.
2 doubtful, dubious, unreliable, undependable.
3 hazardous.
4 groundless, baseless, unfounded.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR precarious ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR precarious 1 secure.
2 reliable.
3 safe.
4 well-founded.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR precarious ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for precarious 1 . See uncertain.
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·ly, adverb
su·per·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun un·pre·car·i·ous, adjective un·pre·car·i·ous·ly, adverb un·pre·car·i·ous·ness, noun
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Words nearby precarious precancel, precancer, precancerous, precapillary, precariat, precarious , precarity, precartilage, precast, precatory, precaution
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for precarious But he has somehow leapt to a higher plateau during the last few years—all the more amazing given his precarious health.
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Somebody else suggests that the evidence is precarious , coming as it does from victims who might not make confident witnesses.
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It was a precarious life, tented on the fairgrounds with all earnings in cash.
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The incident highlights the precarious state of Afghanistan as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from the country.
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Their harrowing escape to Erbil has ended in a precarious and hardscrabble existence.
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It was evident to the Royal Irish that their position was most precarious .
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Both liberty and property are precarious , unless the possessors have sense and spirit enough to defend them.
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In another half-minute the man was taken from his precarious perch, and lifted, in a state of complete collapse, into the boat.
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It is, above all, the position of the Christians, which is deplorable and precarious .
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Even this paltry means of support was precarious , and it was resolved to keep the marriage secret.
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British Dictionary definitions for precarious adjective liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous
archaic dependent on another's will
Derived forms of precarious precariously , adverb precariousness , noun Word Origin for precarious C17: from Latin precārius obtained by begging (hence, dependent on another's will), from prex prayer 1
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
Words related to precarious hazardous, dangerous, uncertain, unhealthy, touchy, unsettled, insecure, shaky, risky, unreliable, rocky, unstable, delicate, ticklish, slippery, unsteady, problematic, perilous, dicey, ambiguous