A. B. AronsJohn Cheever
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Many people, including usage commentators, are insistent about keeping the adjectives "precipitate" and "precipitous" distinct. "Precipitate," they say, means "headlong" or "impetuous"; "precipitous" means only "steep." And, indeed, "precipitate" is used mostly in the "headlong" sense, whereas "precipitous" usually means "steep." But one shouldn't be too hasty about insisting on the distinction. The truth is that "precipitate" and "precipitous" have had a tendency to overlap for centuries. Lexicographer Samuel Johnson, in his dictionary of 1755, defined "precipitate" as "steeply falling," "headlong," and "hasty," while "precipitous" was "headlong; steep," and "hasty." Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary included much the same definitions. The words' etymologies overlap as well. Both ultimately come from Latin praeceps, which means "headlong."
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
- aftereffect
- aftermath
- backwash
- child
- conclusion
- consequence
- corollary
- development
- effect
- fate
- fruit
- issue
- outcome
- outgrowth
- product
- result
- resultant
- sequel
- sequence
- upshot
Adjective
Examples of precipitate in a Sentence
Mark Leyner, Time, 13 Nov. 2000
The vast room darkens. The videotape … begins on two identical screens set high above the nave. The soaring lyrics of LeeAnn Rimes's "How Do I Live (Without You)" precipitate a collective tension and welling, repressed tearfulness.
—Jayne Anne Phillips, Harper's, November 1998
Her death precipitated a family crisis.
The budget problem was precipitated by many unexpected costs.
minerals that precipitate from seawater
Noun
Yet trained, and by nature inclined, to persevere through the stenches, messes, explosions and disasters of a laboratory, he fixed his gaze upon an unlikely precipitate: human resilience, a sort of radioactive trace element.
—Richard Eder, New York Times Book Review, 16 June 2002
the exodus from the cities was an unexpected precipitate of the automobile, which effectively shrank distances
the chemist filtered out the precipitate from the solution
Adjective
The precipitate decline in support for Aristide has probably less to do with Haiti's political crisis than with the continuous and unrelenting economic battering: the Haitian gourde, which a year ago was trading at 27 to the dollar, by late February was down to 55 to the dollar.
—Peter Dailey, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
Almost at once I began to remember why drive-ins went into such a precipitate decline. To begin with, it is not remotely comfortable to sit in a car to watch a movie.
—Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
Assuming that the offering goes ahead—and only a precipitate slide in the stock market will stop it—a big slice of Wall Street history will disappear.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1999
the army's precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle
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Abc News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2023
But the issue recently has received limited attention on Capitol Hill, where Republicans remain fiercely opposed to significant new financial regulation more than a decade after the collapse of the nation’s banks precipitated the Great Recession.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023
This is more common in the elderly and can be precipitated by sudden changes in position, dehydration, infections, bleeding, certain medications and diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023
Populations were also divided elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, precipitating bloody conflict.
—Robert Hornsby, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
The Roman Empire, for example, unraveled during a spasm of volcanic explosions, which led to a period of cooling that precipitated the first pandemic of bubonic plague.
—WIRED, 21 Oct. 2023
Of course, Fleming was dismissing the ghost of the housing crash of 2008 that precipitated the Great Financial Crisis, when subprime mortgages and other shoddy lending practices were common.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2023
The Tuesday attack, apparently precipitated by a dispute between two groups, injured five people, including four students, authorities said.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 8 Oct. 2023
An angry Angelique vows revenge and curses Barnabas into becoming a vampire, which precipitates a volatile love-hate relationship that lasts over multiple centuries.
—Valerie Wu, Variety, 16 Oct. 2023
Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Aug. 2023
Specific metals are then extracted using a series of electrified filters, producing a nickel-cobalt product, mixed hydroxide precipitate.
—Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, 27 July 2023
Every summer, calcium carbonate precipitates from the lake’s warming water and falls to the lakebed, creating a visible barrier between each year of sediment.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 July 2023
Much of the warm, moist air precipitates between the entrance of the valley, at around 1,350 meters, and the village of Lama Hotel at 2,480 meters.
—Walter Immerzeel, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2021
If the alkalinity gets too high, a chemical precipitate forms which can be toxic to ocean plankton.
—Eric Niiler, WSJ, 6 Mar. 2022
Our allies are rightly upset, blaming the U.S. for a precipitate, unilateral withdrawal that missed the opportunity for any coordinated plan to preserve some of the gains made in the country.
—Angelina Jolie, Time, 20 Aug. 2021
Does the mere act of making banks and other companies reveal their carbon footprint precipitate progress on eliminating climate risk?
—Tim McDonnell, Quartz, 21 May 2021
Although, the dusty precipitate may be melting away with the morning sun, the snow may have left a lasting impression on our local record books.
—Jared Boyd, AL.com, 9 Dec. 2017
Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023
Those updates references – and the series of chases, Rube Goldberg mechanisms, and bits of derring-do they all precipitate – also allowed the filmmaking to push their formal boundaries.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 14 June 2023
Many writers, mostly men, continue to rely on rape as a nuclear option for female characters, a tool with which to impassion viewers, precipitate drama, and stir up controversy.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 May 2021
This is all to the good, and better than a precipitate total withdrawal.
—The Editors, National Review, 22 Aug. 2017
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precipitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb and Adjective
Latin praecipitatus, past participle of praecipitare, from praecipit-, praeceps — see precipice
Noun
New Latin praecipitatum, from Latin, neuter of praecipitatus — see precipitate entry 1
Verb
1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
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Cite this Entry
“Precipitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precipitate. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
precipitate
1 of 3 verb
precipitate
2 of 3 noun
precipitate
3 of 3 adjective
Medical Definition
precipitate
1 of 2 verb
precipitate
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on precipitate
Nglish: Translation of precipitate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of precipitate for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about precipitate
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