precarious
adjective /prɪˈkeəriəs/
/prɪˈkeriəs/
- (of a situation) not safe or certain; dangerous
- He earned a precarious living as an artist.
- The museum is in a financially precarious position.
- The world is a precarious and unstable place.
- They have a somewhat precarious existence.
- likely to fall or cause somebody to fall
- That ladder looks very precarious.
- The path down to the beach is very precarious in wet weather.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Latin precarius ‘obtained by entreaty’ (from prex, prec- ‘prayer’) + -ous.