Meaning & use
parlous
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableliterary
Full of danger, difficulty, or uncertainty; describing a situation that could easily turn bad.
Grammar: Comes before a noun or after linking verbs like be/seem: a parlous state, finances are parlous. More formal and dramatic than dangerous.
Patterns
- a parlous state
- parlous finances/condition
- in a parlous position
The peace talks were in a parlous state after the latest walkout.
With debts mounting, the club's finances looked parlous.
adjectivenot comparablearchaichumorous
Dangerously clever or mischievous, in an old or humorous use describing a person or trick.
Grammar: An archaic, joking use found in older literature; modern readers meet it mainly in quotations or playful writing.
Patterns
- a parlous knave/trick
The play features a parlous trickster who outwits the town's merchants.
Beware of that parlous fellow, the old tale warns; his bargains never favor you.
Common combinations
- parlous state
- Relations between the two nations remain in a parlous state.
- parlous finances
- Years of underfunding left the museum with parlous finances.
- parlous times
- Investors grew nervous in those parlous times after the crash.
Synonyms and how they differ
- precarious
- The closest modern equivalent; use it in neutral or academic writing, and reserve parlous for dramatic or literary effect.
- dire
- Emphasizes how serious and urgent the situation is, while parlous emphasizes instability and risk.
Opposites
Commonly confused: parlous or perilous?
parlous vs perilous
Perilous means dangerous to life or safety, while parlous describes a shaky, uncertain situation, not physical danger.
Practice
After three losing seasons, the club found itself in a ______ financial position.
Choose one answer.
Parlous means dangerously uncertain, which fits the club's finances. Parochial means narrow-minded, paraplegic is a medical term, and permanent does not suggest danger.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “parlous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.