risky

adjective

ˈri-skē 

riskier; riskiest

: attended with risk or danger : hazardous

riskiness noun

Synonyms

• dangerous
• hazardous
• perilous
• serious

Choose the Right Synonym for risky

dangerous, hazardous, precarious, perilous, risky mean bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury.

dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.

soldiers on a dangerous mission

hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

Examples of risky in a Sentence

Her plan is too risky.

Recent Examples on the Web

Voyager is a risky but fruitful investment into a huge growth market, according to many analysts, who are counting on the company’s Starlab commercial space station as the ultimate upside opportunity for the firm. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 7 July 2025

This represents a highly unorthodox and potentially risky approach to trade. —Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 7 July 2025

Much of this inventory is now sitting idle on the market, as buyers steer away from a likely risky investment. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

For all of its allure, though, nostalgia is a tricky element for a restaurant to trade in, and a risky thing to rely on. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 6 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing risky

• risky business
• risky move

Rhymes for risky

• frisky
• whiskey
• whisky

Kids Definition

risky

adjective

ˈris-kē 

riskier; riskiest

: having or bringing risk : dangerous