precariously

adverb

pre·​car·​i·​ous·​ly pri-ˈker-ē-əs-lē 

: in a precarious manner

These birds suspend their nests precariously among fine twigs …

—Michael Hansell

… the privilege of a tiny, precariously poised minority.

—Derek Bickerton

Waiters in white shirts and black vests roamed, trays balanced precariously but with utmost precision.

—Noah Charney

… it's now balancing precariously on the brink of extinction and has become the first-ever bumblebee to be declared endangered in the US.

—Laura Dennison

Examples of precariously in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over a century earlier sea otters, another key urchin predator, were extirpated by the fur trade, leaving the system precariously reliant on sea stars alone. —Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026

Much of his work was precariously constructed and deliberately mysterious. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 28 May 2026

Police and emergency officials sealed off traffic around the site, where twisted steel beams and shattered slabs of concrete hung precariously from the edge of the overpass. —ABC News, 26 May 2026

Even standard rooms come with separate soaking tubs and rain showers, plus enough counter space to fully unpack toiletries without balancing things precariously beside the sink. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for precariously

• hilariously
• vicariously
• variously