as in chance
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Recent Examples of chancy
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—
Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
George Washington's chancy nighttime retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a kind of Colonial-era Dunkirk.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
George Washington's chancy nighttime retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a kind of Colonial-era Dunkirk.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chancy
Adjective
-
Sundance’s move to Boulder is coinciding with a fortuitous moment in the specialty film space, with an uptick in post-pandemic interest from younger moviegoers.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The timing for Utah is also fortuitous, as this is a temporary situation regarding the salary match for Jackson.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The result is a haphazard vision for a future that the Bulls still haven’t fully fleshed out.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Cheung has also documented the haphazard quality of the operation, as in one photograph showing a gun magazine left in the snow after agents departed from a scene.—
Emily Witt,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, a suitcase and a random assortment of clothes disappeared along with her.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
-
PlayStation consoles rely on a type of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips, which are in short supply as demand from artificial intelligence and data center operators increases.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These pressures are not accidental.—
Steve Hershey,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Why This Moment Matters The timing of this shift isn’t accidental.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There was nothing at all inadvertent about its disappearance.—
Eugene Robinson,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Kevin Durant swatted it against the backboard, and then there was an inadvertent whistle during a scramble for the loose ball.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But Snyder ruled that these problems were incidental to the work of enforcing the country’s immigration laws.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Yet, incidental captures of these sharks still occur through passive fishing gear, which shows that even remote deep-sea habitats/animals are not entirely safe from human influence.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some are blissful and lucky and just happy to be there.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Out of the states that participate in the drawing, only 28 have been lucky enough to win the jackpot.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The first bill, called the AV Safety Data Act, would require NHTSA to mandate AV vehicle data such as miles traveled, injuries involving human drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists and unplanned stoppages.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Still, the organization found the ordinance change lacking, especially for those whose pets have unplanned litters.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chancy. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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