precarious
/prɪˈkeə.ri.əs/- 1.
Not safe, stable, or secure; likely to get worse or fall apart at any moment. A precarious situation feels like it could tip in a bad direction without warning.
- He held a precarious grip on the edge of the cliff.
- The startup's financial position was increasingly precarious.
- She lived in precarious conditions with no steady income.
- 2.
Dependent on chance or the decisions of others, and therefore not reliable. Often used in academic or formal writing about jobs, politics, or health.
- Millions of workers are in precarious employment with no benefits.
- The government's hold on power remained precarious after the vote.
Adinary Nuance
Precarious sits close to unstable, risky, shaky, and uncertain — but each word has a slightly different focus. Risky describes an action where there is a chance of loss if you go ahead; precarious describes a state you are already in that could collapse at any time. Unstable is more neutral and factual (an unstable structure, unstable weather), while precarious carries a stronger feeling of anxiety — something is barely holding together. Shaky is more informal and often refers to confidence or physical steadiness, not long-term structural danger. Use precarious when you want to convey that a situation is both fragile and worrying — it is the go-to word for IELTS and academic writing about economic insecurity, political instability, or health crises.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- bấp bênh
- Spanish
- precario
- Chinese
- 不稳定
- Japanese
- 危ない
- Korean
- 위태로운
Etymology
From Latin "precarius," meaning "obtained by begging or prayer" — something given as a favour that can be taken back at any time. It entered English in the mid-17th century and gradually shifted to mean anything dangerously uncertain or unstable.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between 'precarious' and 'risky'?
- 'Risky' describes an action that might go wrong if you choose to do it. 'Precarious' describes a situation you are already in that could collapse at any moment — the danger is ongoing, not just potential.
- Is 'precarious' formal or informal?
- 'Precarious' is a formal to semi-formal word. It appears often in academic essays, news writing, and IELTS tasks. It is less common in everyday casual speech, where people might say 'shaky' or 'unstable' instead.
- Can 'precarious' describe a physical object, not just a situation?
- Yes. You can say a ladder, a pile of books, or a building is precarious if it looks like it might fall. However, the word is used much more often to describe situations, jobs, health, or political states.
- Is 'precarious' a good word to use in IELTS writing?
- Yes, it is an excellent IELTS word. It shows range and precision. Use it to describe economic inequality, employment instability, or environmental fragility — all common IELTS essay topics.