Meaning & use

perilous

adjective·Academic

Full of danger or risk; likely to result in serious harm.

See it in a sentence

The climbers faced a perilous descent as the storm closed in around them.

Crossing the flooded river on foot was far too perilous to attempt.

A note on using this word

Perilous is more literary and dramatic than the everyday word dangerous.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

safesecure

Make it your own

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