parlous

par·lous

adj \ˈpär-ləs\

Definition of PARLOUS

1

obsolete : dangerously shrewd or cunning

2

: full of danger or risk

— par·lous·ly adverb

Examples of PARLOUS

1. The company is in a parlous financial situation.
2. He talked about the parlous state of the country.

Origin of PARLOUS

Middle English, alteration of perilous

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PARLOUS

Synonyms: grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, dangerous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, unhealthy, unsafe, venturesome

Antonyms: harmless, innocent, innocuous, nonhazardous, nonthreatening, safe, unthreatening

Related Words: dicey, insecure, precarious, treacherous, uncertain; ultrahazardous; chance, haphazard, random; distressing, sickening, unpleasant; ugly, wicked; adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, inimical, injurious, malignant, nasty, noxious, pernicious, pestilent; deadly, deathly, destructive, dire, fatal, fateful, fell, killer, lethal, mortal, murderous

Near Antonyms: advantageous, beneficial, good; ultrasafe

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Rhymes with PARLOUS

Carlos, scarless, starless