dicey

adjective

dic·​ey ˈdī-sē How to pronounce dicey (audio)
dicier; diciest
: risky, unpredictable
a dicey proposition
dicey weather

Examples of dicey in a Sentence

Starting a business can be quite a dicey proposition. The weather looks a little dicey this morning. I hope it doesn't rain.
Recent Examples on the Web Consulting firms face an even dicier future, as the Bain and Mintz raids underscore. Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2024 But the more far-reaching goals of some demonstrators put the movement in dicier territory. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023 Tagging a right tackle is a dicier proposition given the tender basically grants left tackle money. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2023 This is where things get even dicier, especially since the content focused on science topics like vaccines and climate change that are subject to a lot of misinformation campaigns online. Justine Calma, The Verge, 28 June 2023 But things get dicier when a desperate patient shows up unexpectedly at the family’s house asking for help, bringing with him a terrifying and sinister force. Brent Lang, Variety, 30 May 2023 To make things even dicier for the Biden administration, the Supreme Court recently gutted a major policy tool that could limit the EPA’s authority over power plant operations. Justine Calma, The Verge, 11 May 2023 Pollster Anna Greenberg emphasized the Badger State’s lack of a large Black vote as putting it in a demographically dicier category for Democrats than Georgia. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 27 Apr. 2023 Those water temps are very dicey and don’t allow for mistakes. D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 9 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dicey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

dice entry 1 + -y

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dicey was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near dicey

Cite this Entry

“Dicey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dicey. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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