unnecessary risk

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A danger that someone accepts even though it brings no real benefit and could be avoided.

   Grammar: Countable for one specific danger (an unnecessary risk); uncountable for the general idea (expose workers to unnecessary risk).

   Patterns

   • take an unnecessary risk
   • an unnecessary risk to someone
   • expose someone to unnecessary risk
   • pose an unnecessary risk

   Driving after only three hours of sleep is an unnecessary risk.

   The company took an unnecessary risk by skipping the safety checks.

   Climbing in that storm would be an unnecessary risk for the whole team.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountableformal

   Something that puts people or things in danger without a good reason.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'to' plus the person or thing in danger: a risk to passengers.

   Patterns

   • pose an unnecessary risk to someone
   • an unnecessary risk to health
   • put someone at unnecessary risk

   Cutting the inspection budget posed an unnecessary risk to public health.

   The old wiring is an unnecessary risk to everyone in the building.

Common combinations

take an unnecessary risk

He took an unnecessary risk by lending money to a stranger.

pose an unnecessary risk to

The leaking tank poses an unnecessary risk to the river.

put someone at unnecessary risk

The delay put patients at unnecessary risk.

an unnecessary risk to health

Smoking indoors is an unnecessary risk to health.

expose someone to unnecessary risk

The rules should not expose workers to unnecessary risk.

Synonyms and how they differ

needless danger

Stronger and more dramatic; it suggests serious harm rather than just a chance of loss.

gamble

Focuses on the hope of winning something, while an unnecessary risk has no real benefit.

hazard

A physical source of danger, such as a chemical or a wire, not a decision a person makes.

Opposites

Word family

risky adjective

Involving the possibility of loss or harm.

risk verb

To put something valuable in danger in order to gain something.

Commonly confused: unnecessary risk or unnecessary gamble?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unnecessary risk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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