Synonyms for precarious
prɪˈkɛər i əspre·car·i·ous

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.5 / 4 votes

1. precarious

   Uncertain is applied to things that human knowledge can not certainly determine or that human power can not certainly control; precarious originally meant dependent on the will of another, and now, by extension of meaning, dependent on chance or hazard, with manifest unfavorable possibility verging toward probability; as, one holds office by a precarious tenure, or land by a precarious title; the strong man's hold on life is uncertain, the invalid's is precarious.

   Synonyms:
   doubtful, dubious, equivocal, hazardous, insecure, perilous, risky, unassured, uncertain, unsettled, unstable, unsteady

   Antonyms:
   actual, assured, certain, firm, immutable, incontestable, infallible, real, settled, stable, steady, strong, sure, undeniable, undoubted, unquestionable

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. precarious

   Synonyms:
   hazardous, peril, ous, uncertain, riskful, unassured, insecure, dubious, doubtful

   Antonyms:
   assured, certain, systematic, safe, immutable

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. precarious, unstableadjective

   affording no ease or reassurance

   "a precarious truce"

   Synonyms:
   mentally ill, perilous, parlous, shaky, unstable, touch-and-go, unsound, fluid

   Antonyms:
   safe, secure, easy

2. parlous, perilous, precarious, touch-and-goadjective

   fraught with danger

   "dangerous waters"; "a parlous journey on stormy seas"; "a perilous voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat"; "the precarious life of an undersea diver"; "dangerous surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery"

   Synonyms:
   parlous, perilous, touch-and-go, unstable, shaky

   Antonyms:
   easy, secure, safe

3. precarious, shakyadjective

   not secure; beset with difficulties

   "a shaky marriage"

   Synonyms:
   shivering, wobbly, trembling, perilous, parlous, rickety, shaky, wonky, unstable, touch-and-go

   Antonyms:
   secure, easy, safe

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. precariousadjective

   Synonyms:
   uncertain, unsettled, unsteady, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, insecure, not to be depended upon

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. precariousadjective

   Synonyms:
   uncertain, insecure, unassured, doubtful

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "precarious":

   insecure, fragile, uncertain, unstable, tenuous, volatile, shaky, unsafe, uneasy, poor, delicate, weak, dangerous, substandard, perilous

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How to use precarious in a sentence?

1. Marianne Gasser:

   The fighting is putting enormous pressure on civilians, the temperatures are extremely low and, without an adequate supply of food, water and shelter, displaced people are trying to survive in very precarious conditions.

2. Moha Gerehou:

   It has a lot to do with education, because the main bottleneck is in access to universities, leaving low-paid and precarious employment like domestic work or harvesting, where there is rampant exploitation.

3. Mark Lattimer:

   The sheer number of displaced people means the country continues to face a humanitarian crisis... many of them are in a difficult and precarious situation.

4. Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello:

   But also the help of a social worker in case of precarious financial situations can be a help, since - as our results show - sufficient financial resources may help to relieve secondary stressors.

5. Anthony Fauci:

   We're entering into what really is a precarious situation because we're in the middle of a steep slope.