What does Precarious mean?
Definitions for Precarious
prɪˈkɛər i əspre·car·i·ous
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Precarious.
Princeton's WordNet
precarious, unstableadjective
affording no ease or reassurance
"a precarious truce"
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"
precarious, shakyadjective
not secure; beset with difficulties
"a shaky marriage"
Wiktionary
precariousadjective
dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous
precariousadjective
depending on the intention of another
Etymology: From precarius, from prex, precis. Compare French précaire and Spanish, Portuguese and Italian precario.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
PRECARIOUSadjective
Dependent; uncertain, because depending on the will of another; held by courtesy; changeable or alienable at the pleasure of another. No word is more unskilfully used than this with its derivatives. It is used for uncertain in all its senses; but it only means uncertain, as dependent on others: thus there are authors who mention the precariousness of an account, of the weather, of a die.
Etymology: precarius, Lat. precaire, Fr.
What subjects will precarious kings regard,
A beggar speaks too softly to be heard. Dryden.Those who live under an arbitrary tyrannick power, have no other law but the will of their prince, and consequently no privileges but what are precarious. Addison.
This little happiness is so very precarious, that it wholly depends on the will of others. Joseph Addison, Spectator.
He who rejoices in the strength and beauty of youth, should consider by how precarious a tenure he holds these advantages, that a thousand accidents may before the next dawn lay all these glories in the dust. John Rogers, Sermons.
Wikipedia
precarious
The precarium (plural precaria)—or precaria (plural precariae) in the feminine form—is a form of land tenure in which a petitioner (grantee) receives a property for a specific amount of time without any change of ownership. The precarium is thus a free gift made on request (or precarius, whence "prayer") and can be revoked. The grantor can reclaim the land and evict the grantee at any time, and the grantee's hold on the land is said to be "precarious". (The adjectival form "precarial" is also used.) The precarium arose in the late Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages it became a legal fiction, and the two parties usually signed a contract specifying the rent or services owed by the petitioner. Some precaria eventually became hereditary fiefs. In the Merovingian period the feminine form (singular precaria) became common, but in the eighth century the term beneficium began to replace precarium, although the institutions were practically identical.
ChatGPT
precarious
Precarious generally refers to something that is not securely held or in position, and is dangerously likely to fall or collapse. It can also denote a situation that is uncertain, unstable, or fraught with difficulties and potential risks.
Webster Dictionary
Precariousadjective
depending on the will or pleasure of another; held by courtesy; liable to be changed or lost at the pleasure of another; as, precarious privileges
Precariousadjective
held by a doubtful tenure; depending on unknown causes or events; exposed to constant risk; not to be depended on for certainty or stability; uncertain; as, a precarious state of health; precarious fortunes
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Precarious
prē-kā′ri-us, adj. uncertain, because depending upon the will of another: held by a doubtful tenure: depending on chance: dangerous, risky.—adv. Precā′riously.—n. Precā′riousness. [L. precarius—precāri, to pray.]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Precarious in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Precarious in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Examples of Precarious in a Sentence
I flew a drone above the island showing just how precarious its location is : Homes clinging to the edge of an eroding coastline as unrelenting waves chisel away at what remains, after I saw what was happening on Ejit, I realized that climate change is not something nebulous that will only start affecting us in the future, but rather something happening right now. Residents are being forced to make the most difficult decision : Do they stay and build sea walls to buy some more time, or do they relocate ?
Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants is a logistical nightmare. These are examples of putting himself in a very precarious position even if he were successful.
Energy Minister Segolene Royal:
We will be extremely thorough, extremely severe, the victims are workers whose situation has been made more precarious, consumers who were duped and also the state which pays subsidies for purchases of clean vehicles.
Obviously it has become more necessary during the pandemic, the 150, if we didn’t have them, we would be in a precarious situation.
All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.
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References
Translations for Precarious
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- несигуренBulgarian
- precariCatalan, Valencian
- prekärGerman
- precarioSpanish
- متزلزلPersian
- vaarallinenFinnish
- précaireFrench
- अनिHindi
- precarioItalian
- מְסוּכָּןHebrew
- 不安定なJapanese
- precairDutch
- precárioPortuguese
- precarRomanian
- шаткий, ненадёжный, опасный, рискованныйRussian
- krhak, nesiguranSerbo-Croatian
- prekärSwedish
- ஆபத்தானTamil
- אומזיכערYiddish
- 危險的Chinese
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