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

Needless to say, that would have been unwise for a city with a credit rating perched precariously just above junk status. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

In video of the occupation, Tubbs and his trusty dog Pujo can be seen sitting atop a towering twenty-foot platform, precariously balanced on two long poles anchored by an unwieldy pair of cables. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side. — CBS News, 26 June 2026

The feeling, somewhere between limerence and infatuation, hit me like a shoebox precariously shelved too high. — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for precariously

• hilariously
• vicariously
• variously