precarious
prih-KAIR-ee-us
/prɪˈkeəriəs/
Not securely held or in position; dependent on chance, uncertain conditions, or the whim of others.
Highlights systemic instability, economic vulnerability, and lack of safety nets.
The story behind the word. In ancient Rome, 'precarius' referred to land granted at the prayer or entreaty of another person, which could be revoked at any moment at the owner's whim. Consequently, anything held 'by prayer' became synonymous with extreme insecurity.
Word relationships
- tenuous: Tenuous implies weak logic or thin connection, while precarious stresses immediate danger of collapse.
- insecure: Insecure can refer to personal emotion; precarious strictly denotes structural or positional risk.
- stable: Firmly established and unlikely to change or fail.
- secure: Protected against danger, loss, or job termination.
Commonly confused with
- dangerous: Dangerous implies active harm, whereas precarious emphasizes instability and risk of falling apart.
Word family
- precariously (adverb): In an unstable or uncertain manner.
- precariousness (noun): The state of being unstable or uncertain.
Collocations
- precarious position
- precarious employment
- precarious living
- precarious state
Idioms & expressions
- hanging by a thread
- on thin ice
Example sentences
- "Many platform workers face precarious living conditions due to unpredictable earnings and lack of health insurance." Labor Economics
- "Living on gig wages creates a precarious equilibrium where a single emergency can cause bankruptcy." Socioeconomic Literature
Memory hook
PRECARIOUS sounds like PRAY-CARIOUS: you have to PRAY that your job doesn't collapse beneath you. Precarious = dependent on prayer and whim.
When not to use
Do not use for temporary choices made willingly when financial safety is completely guaranteed.
Fun facts
- The word gave rise to the modern sociological term 'precariat' (amalgam of precarious + proletariat).
Related words
Explore more words
contingent, underprivileged, vulnerable, volatile, capricious, impecunious
Also appears in
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