precariousness

noun

pre·​car·​i·​ous·​ness pri-ˈker-ē-əs-nəs 

: the state or condition of being precarious

The noise, the dashing of the waters, … the precariousness of their footing, for there was scarce room for them to stand on the shelf of rock which they had thus attained …

—Sir Walter Scott

… at a time when a single night of predation could ruin a family, wolves were a constant reminder of the precariousness of frontier life.

—Betsy Carpenter and Lisa Busch

… has to keep up an air of high spirits through a daily struggle with his own illiteracy and the precariousness of his employment.

—George Bernard Shaw

His knowledge is fragmentary, his righteousness is illusory, his motives are tainted, but, aware of the precariousness of human striving, he must strive nevertheless.

—Arthur Meier Schlesinger

Synonyms

• insecurity
• instability
• shakiness
• unstableness
• unsteadiness

Examples of precariousness in a Sentence

she quickly moved the china teapot after noticing its precariousness on the shelf

Recent Examples on the Web

The mother of a child from Ecuador who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the precariousness of her family’s housing described with pride how her eighth-grader was named to the honor roll. —Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 23 June 2024

The precariousness of Netanyahu’s support has become increasingly clear in opinion polling. —Yohanan Plesner, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023

Instead, there is an air of precariousness inside, park officials said. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 29 May 2024

Pair that problem with the Giants’ lack of starting pitchers and the youth of some of the team’s top performers as of late, and there’s an undercurrent of precariousness to the entire San Francisco operation at the moment. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined above