1
Core quality
Not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
Example
The climber maintained a precarious position on the ledge.
precarious
/prɪˈkeəriəs/ · pri-KAIR-ee-usadjective
Not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
Use precarious to express this relationship precisely: not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
What precarious Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The ceasefire remained precarious.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Many households faced a precarious financial situation.
Use precarious Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The climber maintained a precarious position on the ledge.
The ceasefire remained precarious.
Many households faced a precarious financial situation.
Precision Matters
Precarious overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
precarious
vs.Means not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
tenuous
Means weak, slight, or insufficiently supported.
precarious
vs.Means not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
resilient
Means capable of recovering quickly from difficulty, damage, or change.
precarious
vs.Means not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
insurmountable
Means too great or difficult to overcome.
precarious
vs.Means not securely held or established; dangerously unstable or uncertain.
contingent
Means dependent on a condition or event that may or may not occur.
Test precarious in Context
The recovery was insecure and vulnerable to sudden failure.
1
Because it depended on one unreliable supplier, the factory's recovery was ___.