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

For decades the cats precariously held their ground in the state before the Indiana Department of Natural Resources deemed the population healthy enough in 2005 to be removed from the endangered list. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 13 Nov. 2025

The structure looks at once muscular and precariously balanced, like a ballet dancer en pointe. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2025

Each storm sparked a wave of scientific inquiry, until, in the early twentieth century, scientists finally understood why electrifying societies had grown precariously vulnerable to environmental upheavals on the Sun. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025

The film stars Tessa Thompson as Hedda Gabler, a newlywed who is precariously dissatisfied with life. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for precariously

• hilariously
• vicariously
• variously