[
UK
/pɹɪkˈeəɹɪəs/
]
[ US /pɹiˈkɛɹiəs/ ]
[ US /pɹiˈkɛɹiəs/ ]
ADJECTIVE
-
not secure; beset with difficulties
a shaky marriage -
fraught with danger
dangerous surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery
a perilous voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat
a parlous journey on stormy seas
the precarious life of an undersea diver
dangerous waters -
affording no ease or reassurance
a precarious truce
How To Use precarious In A Sentence
- He balanced precariously on the narrow window - ledge.
- They eke out a precarious existence .
- The economy is precariously close to recession.
- China's economy is precariously balanced on a mountain of debt. Times, Sunday Times
- The carriage teetered precariously as he moved to take a seat opposite her and they stared at each other in a calming silence as she drank, but once she finished, the cup fell from her loose fingers and clattered loudly on the floor.
- However, a closer look at the tissue of the dream reveals the most precarious of balances between the concerns of the individual and those of the family and community.
- A dead leaf balanced precariously on the knuckles, twitching in the breeze.
- Although many trees have been removed from homes and businesses, others remain precariously poised to fall. Harsh winter predictions
- The museum is in a financially precarious position.
- To repair any damage Rhoda has done to her already precarious identity as a good little girl, Rhoda initiates a game that she and her mother have obviously played before.