risky

adjective

ˈri-skē 

riskier; riskiest

: involving the possibility of risk or danger : hazardous

riskiness noun

Synonyms of risky

• dangerous
• hazardous
• perilous
• serious

Choose the Right Synonym for risky

dangerous, hazardous, precarious, perilous, risky mean bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury.

dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.

soldiers on a dangerous mission

hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

Examples of risky in a Sentence

Her plan is too risky.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sector boomed in the years after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, with private credit funds and other alternative investment vehicles stepping in to fill the lending gap created by the withdrawal of investment banks from riskier parts of the debt market. —Hugh Leask, CNBC, 6 May 2026

Breaking off on your own, by contrast, is not only risky but expensive. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026

Corporate executives often ask themselves how to participate in the benefits of deep tech innovation – but without trying to create this innovation based on just a few risky internal projects. —Anis Uzzaman, Fortune, 6 May 2026

Louis-Dreyfus then asked if that was all true, and if Smart's pregnancy was really risky. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing risky

• risky business
• risky move

Rhymes for risky

• frisky
• whiskey
• whisky

Kids Definition

risky

adjective

ˈris-kē 

riskier; riskiest

: having or bringing risk : dangerous