unsafe

adjective

un·​safe ˌən-ˈsāf 

unsafer; unsafest

: not safe: such as

a

: able or likely to cause harm, damage, or loss

water that is unsafe to drink

unsafe driving habits

unsafe levels of lead

b

: not giving protection from danger, harm, or loss

an unsafe vehicle

unsafe working conditions

c

: not protected from danger, harm, or loss

feeling frightened and unsafe

d

: likely to take risks : not careful

unsafe drivers

Synonyms of unsafe

• dangerous
• hazardous
• risky
• perilous

Examples of unsafe in a Sentence

workers are forbidden from engaging in unsafe activities on company time

people who have a record of being unsafe drivers usually have to pay higher insurance premiums

Recent Examples on the Web

Walz has called for the withdrawal of roughly 3,000 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, calling the surge unsafe and destabilizing. —Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

With codeine now considered unsafe for breast-feeding, millions of new mothers were being prescribed stronger, more addictive opioids instead. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

However, at times, reconciliation should not occur – perhaps due to a toxic or unsafe relationship. —Richard Balkin, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026

In the Bay Area, there are two mushrooms that are unsafe for any creature, and those are the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata). —Joan Morris, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsafe

• vouchsafe
• chafe
• safe
• waif