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a dangerous situation
an unsafe situation
a hazardous situation
a risky situation
a scary situation
a serious situation
dangerous precedent
troublesome precedent
perilous precedent
awful precedent
unhealthy precedent
horrible precedent
dangerous levels
unhealthy levels
risky levels
toxic levels
deadly levels
hazardous levels
a dangerous enemy
a powerful enemy
a deadly enemy
a potent enemy
a wicked enemy
a threatening enemy

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 The dangerous flash flooding is forecast to be worst in Dallas, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Arkansas. Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025 On April 26, flash flooding forced emergency water rescues in Duncan, Oklahoma, while dangerous flooding was reported in the cities of Norman and Moore. Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025 The album calls out what Young sees as dangerous overreach by corporate interests into food systems and public health. Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025 Reading back over her sister’s occasionally gossipy letters, maybe Cassie thought those qualities were just too dangerous to reveal publicly. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dangerous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dangerous
Adjective
  • Allowed to crumble into disrepair by its owners, the Meruelo family, the famous hotel was ordered demolished by the city as a hazardous structure.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Ranging from 0 to 500, the AQI is used to measure air pollution levels and to alert the public when pollutant levels may make the air hazardous to health.
    Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Confusing a congressional edict to end segregation with DEI policies that have no genesis in the Black Civil Rights movement to end Jim Crow is historically ignorant, disrespectful, and harmful to the urgent need to focus on resolving continuing racial inequalities in public education.
    Raymond Pierce, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Most cryptocurrency education is either overly basic or intended to encourage new investors to make risky trades without a clear plan.
    Kody Boye, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • This shift has become more apparent over the last two years, as some venture capital investors have moved their focus from riskier early-stage startups to later-stage companies that are more established, according to insiders.
    Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Focusing too much on weight rather than taking a more holistic approach can be detrimental to the care of all patients.
    Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • And this has serious and detrimental consequences, not just for the colleges and universities, but for our economy.
    Destinee Adams, NPR, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The original film tells the story of a perilous trip undertaken by Hikari 109, a high-speed, first-generation bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Hakata.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Albi opened in early 2020, a perilous time for any new business to kick off.
    Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • More studies will have to determine just how damaging microplastics truly are to fertility.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 24 Apr. 2025
  • But the uncertainty bred by the trade war is just as damaging to businesses’ bottom lines as consumers pull back their spending.
    Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But legal experts said a criminal contempt finding would be a serious step to be avoided.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • The restaurant sector must get in the game in order to make a serious dent on improving customer health.
    Hank Cardello, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • So far, Lilly said the adverse effects of its new pill are consistent with GLP-1s, a class of medications primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.
    Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • In the study, the researchers measured patients’ impulse control behavior disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, blood pressure changes and weight changes, and found that the adverse effects linked to tavapadon were no different from those who received a placebo.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dangerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dangerous. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dangerous

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