precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsi-pə-təs 

1

: precipitate sense 2

2

a

: very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging in rise or fall

a precipitous slope

b

: having precipitous sides

a precipitous gorge

c

: having a very steep ascent

a precipitous street

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun

Synonyms

• cursory
• drive-by
• flying
• gadarene
• hasty
• headlong
• helter-skelter
• hurried
• overhasty
• pell-mell
• precipitate
• rash
• rushed

Choose the Right Synonym for precipitous

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill

a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Examples of precipitous in a Sentence

There has been a precipitous decline in home sales recently.

People were shocked by his precipitous fall from political power.

Recent Examples on the Web

California is experiencing a precipitous drop in aid applications compared with last year, second only to Tennessee’s as of early March. —Jaclyn Piñero, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024

There was a precipitous 1,000-foot drop to either side. —Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

The Filipinos’ reliable performance of important tasks helped the company achieve the precipitous growth demanded by venture capital investors to rapidly increase the company’s valuation. —IEEE Spectrum, 13 Mar. 2024

Montana’s rise was meteoric, but his fall was just as precipitous. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024

The precipitous slump comes as Cainiao faces a plethora of problems, analysts say. —Yue Wang, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

That led to a precipitous drop in the number of immigrant visas approved during the early months of the pandemic. —Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024

Markets have whipsawed between new highs and precipitous drops as contrasting economic data cause confusion about what the Fed will do next. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024

Three good and three bad trends for the Trojans Sept. 14, 2023 The learning curve only gets more precipitous from here. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French précipiteux, from Middle French, from Latin precipitium precipice

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsip-ət-əs 

1

: showing unwise and unnecessary haste : rash

a precipitous act

2

: steep like a precipice

a precipitous slope

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun