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

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

In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side. — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

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

At its entrance, monumental basalt sculptures lean precariously against 14th-century walls, reversing the traditional role of the caryatid and quietly speaking to visitors. — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for precariously

• hilariously
• vicariously
• variously