precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsi-pə-təs 

1

: precipitate sense 2

2

a

: very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging in rise or fall

a precipitous slope

b

: having precipitous sides

a precipitous gorge

c

: having a very steep ascent

a precipitous street

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun

Synonyms

• cursory
• drive-by
• flying
• gadarene
• hasty
• headlong
• helter-skelter
• hurried
• overhasty
• pell-mell
• precipitate
• rash
• rushed

Choose the Right Synonym for precipitous

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill

a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Examples of precipitous in a Sentence

There has been a precipitous decline in home sales recently.

People were shocked by his precipitous fall from political power.

Recent Examples on the Web

After peaking in the 1990s, the U.S. shrimp industry has faced a precipitous decline over the past 15 years. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Apr. 2025

Those numbers set up financial markets for another precipitous fall after stocks on Thursday suffered their biggest one-day drops since 2020, vaporizing roughly $2 trillion in investor wealth, according to FactSet. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025

But for the team’s second home game here, the Athletics logged a precipitous dip in ticket sales. —Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Such a precipitous fall on that end of the floor has been one of the many issues that has plagued Phoenix this season. —Mikai Bruce, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French précipiteux, from Middle French, from Latin precipitium precipice

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precipitous

• serendipitous

Kids Definition

precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsip-ət-əs 

1

: showing unwise and unnecessary haste : rash

a precipitous act

2

: steep like a precipice

a precipitous slope

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun