Search results
- DictionaryPre·car·i·ous/prəˈkerēəs/
adjective
- 1. not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse: "a precarious ladder"
People also ask
What does precarious mean?
What is a precarious situation?
Where did the word precarious come from?
What does precarium mean?
adjective. dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; insecure: a precarious livelihood. Synonyms: indeterminate, unsure. Antonyms: secure. dependent on the will or pleasure of another; liable to be withdrawn or lost at the will of another: He held a precarious tenure under an arbitrary administration.
PRECARIOUS definition: 1. A precarious situation is likely to become worse: 2. not fixed and likely to fall: . Learn more.
1 (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.
1. Dangerously lacking in security or stability: a precarious posture; precarious footing on the ladder. 2. Subject to chance or unknown conditions: "His kingdom was still precarious; the Danes far from subdued" (Christopher Brooke). 3. Based on uncertain, unwarranted, or unproved premises: a precarious solution to a difficult problem. 4.
Esp. of a right, tenancy, etc.: held or enjoyed by the favour of and at the pleasure of another person; vulnerable to the will or decision of others. Also figurative. Now rare or merged in other senses, except in technical use with reference to tenancies. 1626.
Britannica Dictionary definition of PRECARIOUS. [more precarious; most precarious] : not safe, strong, or steady. He earned a precarious livelihood/living by gambling. She was in a state of precarious [= delicate] health.
The Latin word precarius means ‘given as a favour’, or ‘depending on the favour of another person’; and the earliest meaning of the English word precarious relates to the idea of being given something—the right to occupy land, or to hold a particular position—‘at the pleasure of’ another person, who might simply choose to take ...
