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

Some have branded it unsafe and unworkable, citing their concerns around potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities. —ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

Witnesses saw the driver speeding and making unsafe lane changes on the bridge, police said. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026

Just a few years later, in the fall of 2019, mountaineer Garrett Madison abandoned an Everest expedition due to another serac causing unsafe conditions in the Khumbu Icefall. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026

That does not mean your router suddenly becomes unsafe. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsafe

• vouchsafe
• chafe
• safe
• waif