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

Checking plans before execution The team also developed a defense system called PROTEA, designed to identify unsafe actions before a robot carries them out. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Tenants had been involved in a years long dispute with multiple landlords over unsafe living conditions. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Predicted in the 1970s by NASA physicist Donald Kessler, this chain of orbital smashups could make the space around Earth unusable and unsafe. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

There’s no evidence that the trace amounts of these compounds that could be found in the ultra-refined mineral oil used in cosmetics is unsafe. — Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsafe

• vouchsafe
• chafe
• safe
• waif