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 of precipitous

• hurried
• rushed
• sudden
• impulsive
• headlong
• hasty
• rash
• reckless
• rapid
• overhasty
• precipitate
• abrupt

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

Meanwhile, German manufacturing orders have come to a standstill amid tariff uncertainty, even outpacing the precipitous decline experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, narrowly avoiding a recession. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

Lack and his colleagues’ investigations into why, which played out over the next 15 years, led to last month’s remarkable finding that the incidence of peanut allergies in the US – after a precipitous rise – appeared to have fallen dramatically. —Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

Like the 44th president, Mamdani has seen a precipitous rise to high office after just a few years as an obscure state legislator. —Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025

While most of the largest cities in the country have seen permit activity drop, a study by HomeAbroad also found that San Jose’s figures illustrated the most precipitous drop. —Devan Patel, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 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