"precarious" meaning in English

See precarious in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/ [Received-Pronunciation], /pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/ [General-American] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav Forms: more precarious [comparative], most precarious [superlative]
Rhymes: -ɛəɹiəs Etymology: From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario. Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*preḱ-}}, {{uder|en|la|precārius||begged for, obtained by entreaty}} Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), {{cog|fr|précaire}} French précaire, {{cog|pt|precário}} Portuguese precário Head templates: {{en-adj}} precarious (comparative more precarious, superlative most precarious)
  1. (comparable) Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous. Tags: comparable Synonyms: unsteady, rickety, shaky, tottering, unsafe, unstable, wobbly Translations (dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous): несигурен (nesiguren) (Bulgarian), ненадежден (nenadežden) (Bulgarian), precari (Catalan), 不穩嘅 (Chinese Cantonese), 不稳嘅 (english: bat wan² ge³) (Chinese Cantonese), 危險嘅 (Chinese Cantonese), 危险嘅 (ngai⁴ him² ge³) (Chinese Cantonese), 朝不保夕嘅 (ziu¹ bat¹ bou² zik⁶ ge³) (Chinese Cantonese), nejistý (Czech), prekérní (Czech), ošidný (Czech), hachelijk (Dutch), onzeker (Dutch), vaarallinen (Finnish), précaire (French), heikel (German), schwierig (German), unsicher (German), prekär (German), schlimm (German), bedrohlich (German), gefährdet (German), bedenklich (German), επισφαλής (episfalís) (Greek), bizonytalan (Hungarian), ingatag (Hungarian), kétes (Hungarian), 다루기 어려운 (darugi eoryeoun) (Korean), precarius (Latin), prekær (Norwegian Bokmål), prekær (Norwegian Nynorsk), precari (Occitan), roakboa (Plautdietsch), niebezpieczny (Polish), niepewny (Polish), precário (Portuguese), опа́сный (opásnyj) (Russian), риско́ванный (riskóvannyj) (Russian), ненадёжный (nenadjóžnyj) (Russian), ша́ткий (šátkij) (Russian), precario (Spanish), prekär (Swedish), ansicr (Welsh), simsan (Welsh), sigledig (Welsh)
    Sense id: en-precarious-en-adj-UGqG0nCi Disambiguation of 'dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous': 99 1
  2. (law) Depending on the intention of another. Categories (topical): Law Translations ((law) depending on the intention of another): widerruflich (German), visszavonható (Hungarian), engedélytől függő (Hungarian)
    Sense id: en-precarious-en-adj-RwdoDwey Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English undefined derivations, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Cantonese translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Greek translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Korean translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations, Terms with Occitan translations, Terms with Plautdietsch translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Welsh translations, Terms with Yiddish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 9 81 10 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 5 95 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 6 85 9 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 4 90 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Cantonese translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 12 88 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Greek translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 30 70 Disambiguation of Terms with Korean translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations: 6 94 Disambiguation of Terms with Occitan translations: 14 86 Disambiguation of Terms with Plautdietsch translations: 4 96 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Welsh translations: 12 88 Disambiguation of Terms with Yiddish translations: 12 88 Topics: law Disambiguation of '(law) depending on the intention of another': 1 99
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: bioprecarity, precariat, precariously, precariousness, precarisation, precarity, precarization Related terms: pray
Etymology number: 1

Adjective

IPA: /pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/ [Received-Pronunciation], /pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/ [General-American] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav
Rhymes: -ɛəɹiəs Etymology: From pre- + cheesetax. Etymology templates: {{af|en|pre-|cheesetax}} pre- + cheesetax Head templates: {{en-adj|-}} precarious (not comparable)
  1. (dentistry) Relating to incipient caries. Tags: not-comparable Categories (topical): Dentistry
    Sense id: en-precarious-en-adj-iWESe6je Categories (other): English terms prefixed with pre- Disambiguation of English terms prefixed with pre-: 27 29 44 Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "bioprecarity"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precariat"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precariously"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precariousness"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precarisation"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precarity"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "precarization"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*preḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "precārius",
        "4": "",
        "5": "begged for, obtained by entreaty"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "précaire"
      },
      "expansion": "French précaire",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "precário"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese precário",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more precarious",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most precarious",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "precarious (comparative more precarious, superlative most precarious)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "pre‧ca‧ri‧ous"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pray"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:",
          "text": "One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter III, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 1 (The Wild):",
          "text": "Never had he been so fond of this body of his as now when his tenure of it was so precarious.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2016, Doris L. Bergen, “8 - Flashover: The Killing Centers, 1942-1944”, in War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust, page 266:",
          "text": "The existence of Jewish partisans was precarious. They lived from hand to mouth, stealing when necessary, arranging secret deliveries of food, and spending hours and even days in holes in the ground when danger threatened.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57:",
          "text": "One can't escape the huge nuclear facility at Sellafield (supplier of much of the line's remaining freight traffic), or miss the wild shingle beaches with exposed and precarious bungalows sandwiched between the railway and the shore at Braystones.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous."
      ],
      "id": "en-precarious-en-adj-UGqG0nCi",
      "links": [
        [
          "Dangerously",
          "dangerously"
        ],
        [
          "insecure",
          "insecure"
        ],
        [
          "unstable",
          "unstable"
        ],
        [
          "perilous",
          "perilous"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(comparable) Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "unsteady"
        },
        {
          "word": "rickety"
        },
        {
          "word": "shaky"
        },
        {
          "word": "tottering"
        },
        {
          "word": "unsafe"
        },
        {
          "word": "unstable"
        },
        {
          "word": "wobbly"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "comparable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "nesiguren",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "несигурен"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "nenadežden",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ненадежден"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "precari"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "不穩嘅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "yue",
          "english": "bat wan² ge³",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "不稳嘅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "危險嘅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "ngai⁴ him² ge³",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "危险嘅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "ziu¹ bat¹ bou² zik⁶ ge³",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "朝不保夕嘅"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "nejistý"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "prekérní"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ošidný"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "hachelijk"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "onzeker"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "vaarallinen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "précaire"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "heikel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "schwierig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "unsicher"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "prekär"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "schlimm"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "bedrohlich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "gefährdet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "bedenklich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "episfalís",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "επισφαλής"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "bizonytalan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ingatag"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "kétes"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "darugi eoryeoun",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "다루기 어려운"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "precarius"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "prekær"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "prekær"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "oc",
          "lang": "Occitan",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "precari"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pdt",
          "lang": "Plautdietsch",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "roakboa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "niebezpieczny"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "niepewny"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "precário"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "opásnyj",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "опа́сный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "riskóvannyj",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "риско́ванный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nenadjóžnyj",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ненадёжный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "šátkij",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ша́ткий"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "precario"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "prekär"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "ansicr"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "simsan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
          "word": "sigledig"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Law",
          "orig": "en:Law",
          "parents": [
            "Justice",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
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        {
          "_dis": "9 81 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 81",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Welsh translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Yiddish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Depending on the intention of another."
      ],
      "id": "en-precarious-en-adj-RwdoDwey",
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "intention",
          "intention"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) Depending on the intention of another."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
          "word": "widerruflich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
          "word": "visszavonható"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
          "word": "engedélytől függő"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛəɹiəs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "precarious"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pre-",
        "3": "cheesetax"
      },
      "expansion": "pre- + cheesetax",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From pre- + cheesetax.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "precarious (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "pre‧ca‧ri‧ous"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Dentistry",
          "orig": "en:Dentistry",
          "parents": [
            "Medicine",
            "Teeth",
            "Biology",
            "Healthcare",
            "Mouth",
            "Sciences",
            "Health",
            "Face",
            "All topics",
            "Body",
            "Head and neck",
            "Fundamental",
            "Body parts",
            "Anatomy"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 29 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with pre-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Relating to incipient caries."
      ],
      "id": "en-precarious-en-adj-iWESe6je",
      "links": [
        [
          "dentistry",
          "dentistry"
        ],
        [
          "incipient",
          "incipient"
        ],
        [
          "caries",
          "caries"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dentistry) Relating to incipient caries."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "dentistry",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛəɹiəs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "precarious"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *preḱ-",
    "English terms prefixed with pre-",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "English undefined derivations",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛəɹiəs",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛəɹiəs/4 syllables",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Cantonese translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greek translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Korean translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Occitan translations",
    "Terms with Plautdietsch translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Welsh translations",
    "Terms with Yiddish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "bioprecarity"
    },
    {
      "word": "precariat"
    },
    {
      "word": "precariously"
    },
    {
      "word": "precariousness"
    },
    {
      "word": "precarisation"
    },
    {
      "word": "precarity"
    },
    {
      "word": "precarization"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*preḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "precārius",
        "4": "",
        "5": "begged for, obtained by entreaty"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "précaire"
      },
      "expansion": "French précaire",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "precário"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese precário",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more precarious",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most precarious",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "precarious (comparative more precarious, superlative most precarious)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "pre‧ca‧ri‧ous"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "pray"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:",
          "text": "One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter III, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 1 (The Wild):",
          "text": "Never had he been so fond of this body of his as now when his tenure of it was so precarious.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2016, Doris L. Bergen, “8 - Flashover: The Killing Centers, 1942-1944”, in War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust, page 266:",
          "text": "The existence of Jewish partisans was precarious. They lived from hand to mouth, stealing when necessary, arranging secret deliveries of food, and spending hours and even days in holes in the ground when danger threatened.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57:",
          "text": "One can't escape the huge nuclear facility at Sellafield (supplier of much of the line's remaining freight traffic), or miss the wild shingle beaches with exposed and precarious bungalows sandwiched between the railway and the shore at Braystones.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Dangerously",
          "dangerously"
        ],
        [
          "insecure",
          "insecure"
        ],
        [
          "unstable",
          "unstable"
        ],
        [
          "perilous",
          "perilous"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(comparable) Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "unsteady"
        },
        {
          "word": "rickety"
        },
        {
          "word": "shaky"
        },
        {
          "word": "tottering"
        },
        {
          "word": "unsafe"
        },
        {
          "word": "unstable"
        },
        {
          "word": "wobbly"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "comparable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Law"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Depending on the intention of another."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "intention",
          "intention"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) Depending on the intention of another."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛəɹiəs"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "nesiguren",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "несигурен"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "nenadežden",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ненадежден"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "precari"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "不穩嘅"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "english": "bat wan² ge³",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "不稳嘅"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "危險嘅"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "ngai⁴ him² ge³",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "危险嘅"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "ziu¹ bat¹ bou² zik⁶ ge³",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "朝不保夕嘅"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "nejistý"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "prekérní"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ošidný"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "hachelijk"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "onzeker"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "vaarallinen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "précaire"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "heikel"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "schwierig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "unsicher"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "prekär"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "schlimm"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "bedrohlich"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "gefährdet"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "bedenklich"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "episfalís",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "επισφαλής"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "bizonytalan"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ingatag"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "kétes"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "darugi eoryeoun",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "다루기 어려운"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "precarius"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "prekær"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "prekær"
    },
    {
      "code": "oc",
      "lang": "Occitan",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "precari"
    },
    {
      "code": "pdt",
      "lang": "Plautdietsch",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "roakboa"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "niebezpieczny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "niepewny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "precário"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "opásnyj",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "опа́сный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "riskóvannyj",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "риско́ванный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nenadjóžnyj",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ненадёжный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "šátkij",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ша́ткий"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "precario"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "prekär"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "ansicr"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "simsan"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous",
      "word": "sigledig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
      "word": "widerruflich"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
      "word": "visszavonható"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "(law) depending on the intention of another",
      "word": "engedélytől függő"
    }
  ],
  "word": "precarious"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms prefixed with pre-",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛəɹiəs",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛəɹiəs/4 syllables"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pre-",
        "3": "cheesetax"
      },
      "expansion": "pre- + cheesetax",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From pre- + cheesetax.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "precarious (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "pre‧ca‧ri‧ous"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Dentistry"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Relating to incipient caries."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "dentistry",
          "dentistry"
        ],
        [
          "incipient",
          "incipient"
        ],
        [
          "caries",
          "caries"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(dentistry) Relating to incipient caries."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "dentistry",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛə.ɹɪ.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-precarious.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cd/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-precarious.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹɪˈkɛɚ.i.əs/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛəɹiəs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "precarious"
}

Download raw JSONL data for precarious meaning in English (12.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.