HAZARDS Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

hazards 1 of 2

noun

plural of hazard

as in threats

something that may cause injury or harm the tumbledown old barn was considered a fire hazard

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in chances

the uncertain course of events it was only by hazard and good fortune that we found our way back to the trail

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hazards

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hazard

as in endangers

to place in danger just so the tourists could see the sea lions up close, the captain needlessly hazarded his ship

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in risks

to take a chance on was unwilling to hazard landing the plane on the small island, which didn't even have an airfield

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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 hazards

Noun

Roughly half of losses from natural hazards worldwide are uninsured. — Marcene Mitchell, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026 That changed in early 2022, when California’s major insurers — State Farm, Allstate, Farmers and others — simultaneously began to shed thousands of policies because of their exposure to wildfire risk and other hazards. — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026 That data flows into BlindSquare, which provides spoken alerts in 26 languages about hazards roughly 10 meters ahead. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026 Mold & Mildew Growth Allergies and respiratory issues aren’t the only health hazards that can come from dust in the bathroom. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026 The episode also illustrates the peculiar hazards of an underground band suddenly becoming music business bait. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026 Emergency crews later told people near the wreckage to leave because of continuing hazards. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026 Clear debris, including sticks and sawdust, after tree removal to prevent lawn hazards and nutrient depletion. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026 For all of its hazards, Instinct is a harbinger of where AI is headed. — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2026

Verb

That hazards statement originally had been in place through early Wednesday morning. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 15 June 2026 Forecasters say confidence is lower in the exact timing, where storms will be strongest, and which hazards will be most likely. — Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026 Clothes Iron and Steamer Many cruise lines have policies forbidding the use of clothes irons and steamers and won’t allow these fire hazards onboard. — Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026 At over 1,800 lives lost per year, winter vehicle-crash fatalities are four times greater than the total number of all other weather hazards combined, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026 Beach hazards statements will remain in effect until conditions improve and are expected to be re-evaluated regularly. — Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025 However, Starlink’s own public record also showcases how rapidly the collision hazards in orbit are evolving. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hazards

Noun

The Air Force says this architecture should allow new technologies to be incorporated as threats and requirements change.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
And then hit a wall, which was the deadline for placing it on the June ballot with other things coming up in Sacramento — real threats to the power of transfer taxes, to the power of our city to have transfer taxes at all.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of threats

Noun

Monday in Philadelphia stays cool and unsettled, with the front stalled just south of the region and scattered rain chances, especially across southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware.

— Andrew Kozak, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Highs are expected in the upper 80s and the rain chances for the week through Sunday hover around the 80% range — especially Wednesday when the weather service puts storm chances at 88%.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of chances

Verb

Similarly, a citizen who violates technology export or import regulations could be banned from leaving if the action endangers industrial or technological security, the regulation says.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Osborn said the practice endangers both officers and other inmates.

— Paul Egan, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of endangers

Verb

By cutting the number of working holiday visas, critics say, the government risks causing more economic pain.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
That may be particularly troubling to Washington, where intelligence officials have already voiced concern that a potential advanced fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia risks the technology being transferred to China, The New York Times reported.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of risks

Noun

Researchers think this happens because swapping stories about social bonds, unexpected dangers and survival are advantageous for our evolution.

— Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026
The collapse last week wasn’t the first involving unsafe dwellings in the Gaza Strip, but the high death toll underscored the dangers in a territory where the vast majority of the population lacks adequate shelter.

— Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of dangers

Noun

Like many who were detained only to be released, Cazares needed a combination of luck and legal might.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Some Republicans could not believe their luck when Lawrence beat two more traditional candidates in August's Democratic primary.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of luck

Verb

This is, of course, the conception of fundamentalist theology, which threatens eternal hellfire for anyone who defies its commandments.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
As a result, the rise in diesel costs threatens to worsen a surge of inflation set off by the outbreak of the Iran war nearly seven months ago.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of threatens

Noun

Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Los Angeles-area authorities have questioned several people about the circumstances surrounding the California resident’s death, a source familiar with the case said last week.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Under normal circumstances, the system would have switched to a backup line.

— Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of circumstances

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hazardous

hazards

haze

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Style

“Hazards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hazards. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hazards

noun

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