1
2

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dangerous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of dangerous are hazardous, perilous, precarious, and risky. While all these words 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

When could hazardous be used to replace dangerous?

The meanings of hazardous and dangerous largely overlap; however, hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

When can perilous be used instead of dangerous?

The synonyms perilous and dangerous are sometimes interchangeable, but perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

When might precarious be a better fit than dangerous?

In some situations, the words precarious and dangerous are roughly equivalent. However, precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

When is it sensible to use risky instead of dangerous?

The words risky and dangerous can be used in similar contexts, but risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dangerous Rhetoric becomes dangerous when it is reinforced by consistent ideology, direct public declarations over time, and obvious preparations for action. Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025 Advertisement The best strategy to protect youth, Nowinski and other experts say, is to set minimum ages for the most dangerous activities, like tackling. Alana Semuels, Time, 20 Oct. 2025 Therapists have warned that chatbots sometimes break their own safety rules and give dangerous advice to teens in distress. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025 All of those things are dangerous. Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dangerous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dangerous
Adjective
  • Heavy snow and strong winds could impact major routes, isolate higher-elevation communities, and create hazardous conditions for early-season recreation.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Use your low beam headlights, slow down, and be prepared for periods of hazardous driving conditions.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The findings come just a couple years after another study conducted by Spanish and Brazilian researchers revealed the existence of potentially harmful bisphenol chemicals in clothing sold in Spain for pregnant women, newborns and toddlers.
    Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
  • According to one study, people may become either psychologically or physically dependent on caffeine, which may be harmful.
    Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Moving fast without solid data can be just as risky as moving too slowly, Gallucci said.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Yet, an annual ranking of global markets still ranks Miami as the riskiest in the world.
    Tom Hudson, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Mercury is a neurotoxin and can have detrimental effects on our health if levels are too high.
    Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The Vikings’ run defense has been detrimental to an otherwise strong group on that side of the ball.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The 121-year-old park in Midtown is the scene of a child's birthday that turns perilous as gusty winds send a red kite, and the little girl holding it, soaring above the Parthenon.
    Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The first time Kuhn met with the cardiothoracic surgeon, her condition was already perilous.
    CalMatters, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean are staring down what could become a catastrophic, days-long assault of extreme rainfall and damaging winds with a strengthening Tropical Storm Melissa expected to become a major hurricane over some of the hottest ocean water on the planet.
    Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Despite how terribly damaging America has been recently, that country and those ideals remain worth fighting for.
    Lars Brandle, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Rule out any more serious conditions.
    RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Springsteen has been open over the years about navigating depression, which began to get serious during his early 30s.
    Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe and some people are at even higher risk of adverse effects, warned the agency, including young children, people of child-bearing age and people who are breastfeeding.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Given an adverse court ruling (related to another firm) that was adverse to Netflix, management recognized the expense this quarter.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dangerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dangerous. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dangerous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!