RISKY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'risky' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of risky are dangerous , hazardous , perilous , and precarious . While all these words mean "bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury," risky often applies to a known and accepted danger. // shied away from risky investments

Q: When can 'dangerous' be used instead of 'risky'?

While the synonyms dangerous and risky are close in meaning, dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully. // soldiers on a dangerous mission

Q: When could 'hazardous' be used to replace 'risky'?

Although the words hazardous and risky have much in common, hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure. // claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

Q: When would 'perilous' be a good substitute for 'risky'?

The words perilous and risky can be used in similar contexts, but perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger. // perilous mountain roads

Q: When might 'precarious' be a better fit than 'risky'?

While in some cases nearly identical to risky , precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty. // earned a precarious living by gambling

risky

adjective

ˈri-skē

Definition of risky next

as in dangerous

involving potential loss or injury a risky new adventure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word risky distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of risky are dangerous, hazardous, perilous, and precarious. While all these words mean "bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury," risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

When can dangerous be used instead of risky?

While the synonyms dangerous and risky are close in meaning, dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.

soldiers on a dangerous mission

When could hazardous be used to replace risky?

Although the words hazardous and risky have much in common, hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

When would perilous be a good substitute for risky?

The words perilous and risky can be used in similar contexts, but perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

When might precarious be a better fit than risky?

While in some cases nearly identical to risky, precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of risky Experts claim that misoprostol is too risky to use when the mother is experiencing such heavy bleeding, and a D&C should have been performed. —

Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 26 Nov. 2024 Roads are excellent, but the abundance of wildlife makes driving between dusk and dawn risky. —

Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024 However, putting too much stock into these signs can be risky. —

Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 20 Nov. 2024 That evacuation into less risky assets was only temporary, however. —

Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for risky

Recent Examples of Synonyms for risky

Adjective

For observers to project their own values and interests onto Hamas and its supporters is to fall into a dangerous trap.

John Spencer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
Williams was wearing a monitor manufactured by Honeywell Safety Products that should have warned him that he had been exposed to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.

Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024