Meaning & use
precariously
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a way that is likely to fall or break because it is not secure.
Grammar: Often goes before a past participle or a verb: precariously balanced.
Patterns
- precariously balanced
- precariously perched
The vase sat precariously on the edge of the shelf.
A pile of books leaned precariously against the wall.
He stood precariously on a wobbly chair.
adverbnot comparablefigurative
In an unsafe or uncertain way, so that a bad outcome could easily follow.
Grammar: Used for situations: precariously close to failure.
Patterns
- precariously close to something
- live precariously
The company is precariously close to bankruptcy.
Their savings were precariously low.
She lived precariously from one paycheck to the next.
Common combinations
- precariously balanced
- The rock was precariously balanced on the cliff.
- precariously perched
- A nest was precariously perched in the tree.
- precariously close
- The team stood precariously close to relegation.
- hang precariously
- The picture hung precariously by a single nail.
- live precariously
- Many freelancers live precariously.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dangerously
- Dangerously stresses risk of harm, while precariously stresses an unstable position that could easily change.
- unsteadily
- Unsteadily describes shaky movement, but precariously describes a position at risk of falling.
- insecurely
- Insecurely means not firmly fixed and is less dramatic than precariously.
- shakily
- Shakily suggests trembling movement, while precariously suggests a risky balance.
Opposites
Word family
- precarious adjective
- not secure or stable
- precariousness noun
- the state of being unstable
- precarity noun
- insecurity, especially about work and income
Commonly confused: precariously or carefully?
precariously vs carefully
Carefully means with care, but precariously means in an unsafe position. They look partly alike but are opposites in feel.
Practice
The tower of boxes was stacked so ___ that one touch would topple it.
Choose one answer.
Precariously means unstable and likely to fall. Securely would mean the opposite, and evenly or neatly do not suggest danger.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “precariously”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.