chancier; chanciest
1
Scotland
: bringing good luck : auspicious
2
: uncertain in outcome or prospect : risky
chanciness
noun
chanc·i·ness
ˈchan(t)-sē-nəs,
ˈchän(t)-
plural -es
: uncertainty or risk due to chance : fortuitousness
Examples of chancy in a Sentence
Adjective
Building your own home is a chancy business.
Opening a new restaurant can be chancy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Actions that seemed foolhardy when Rue was younger now come off as merely chancy, with Zendaya imparting enough hard-knock experience to pull off bigger swings.
—Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Chancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chancy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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