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

Musk took the opportunity to encourage everyone listening to have at least three children, given that humanity rests precariously on thin ice in the broader scheme of the universe. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 May 2024

In their place are generic invocations of 21st century feminist and racial-justice fights, plus the occasional dig at the real estate tycoon who became our 45th President, tied precariously together with thin strands of plot that strain believability. —Judy Berman, TIME, 2 May 2024

The Lakers now enter their final two games precariously balancing above disaster, needing to win on the road at Memphis and New Orleans while hoping for help to avoid ending as the 10th playoff seed. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

A bit of water that was sloshing precariously in Mr. Roscian’s glass spilled out. —Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

On Friday, April 19, Case, hunched into a sphere, balanced a steel ball bearing precariously on a toylike scoop. —Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

Still, the legislation teetered precariously Friday morning as lawmakers voted on an amendment — vociferously opposed by Johnson, the White House and sponsors of the legislation — that would have prohibited the warrantless surveillance of Americans. —Farnoush Amiri and Eric Tucker, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

The most potent sign of the quake is a 10-story red-brick tower in the city center, leaning precariously at a 45-degree angle after its ground floor collapsed. —Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

One of them, the rounded, red brick Uranus Building, which leaned precariously after its first floors collapsed, was mostly drawing curious onlookers. —Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above