precariousness

noun

pre·​car·​i·​ous·​ness pri-ˈker-ē-əs-nəs 

: the state or condition of being precarious

The noise, the dashing of the waters, … the precariousness of their footing, for there was scarce room for them to stand on the shelf of rock which they had thus attained …

—Sir Walter Scott

… at a time when a single night of predation could ruin a family, wolves were a constant reminder of the precariousness of frontier life.

—Betsy Carpenter and Lisa Busch

… has to keep up an air of high spirits through a daily struggle with his own illiteracy and the precariousness of his employment.

—George Bernard Shaw

His knowledge is fragmentary, his righteousness is illusory, his motives are tainted, but, aware of the precariousness of human striving, he must strive nevertheless.

—Arthur Meier Schlesinger

Synonyms

• insecurity
• instability
• shakiness
• unstableness
• unsteadiness

Examples of precariousness in a Sentence

she quickly moved the china teapot after noticing its precariousness on the shelf

Recent Examples on the Web

The summit’s theme — The Power of Resilience — speaks to the precariousness of the times after a tough year for fashion and retail, which have been chasing lightning-quick consumers and technological change in a tricky economy. —Evan Clark, WWD, 4 Sep. 2024

The trip is an attempt to atone for the precariousness of Lu and Sy’s childhood, and when, in the admissions line, the kids light up at an advertisement for overpriced gumdrops, May can’t bear to deny them. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

Fourth, the stock is down to a risky position This graph shows the precariousness of the stock. —John S. Tobey, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024

And Egypt is hardly alone in this precariousness: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Yemen, and many other countries in the Middle East and North Africa are staring into the abyss. —Carlisle Ford Runge, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined above