as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
window washing can indeed be a parlous occupation on a skyscraper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parlous
Photograph: Lamborghini This move from Lamborghini underlines the parlous state of luxury EVs at present, a trend WIRED has charted.
—
Jeremy White, Wired News, 23 Feb. 2026
Declining revenues combined with soaring wage costs shifted the club’s finances into a parlous state.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The increasingly parlous state of Francophone West Africa’s second-largest economy led to a credit downgrade by S&P in July which has pushed up borrowing costs.
—semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Reflecting wider financial market nerves around the parlous state of French politics, the yield on France’s 30-year bond yield rose above 4.5% on Tuesday — hitting a level last seen in 2008 — before lightly easing to to 4.48% on Wednesday.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Jeremy White, Wired News, 23 Feb. 2026
Declining revenues combined with soaring wage costs shifted the club’s finances into a parlous state.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The increasingly parlous state of Francophone West Africa’s second-largest economy led to a credit downgrade by S&P in July which has pushed up borrowing costs.
—semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Reflecting wider financial market nerves around the parlous state of French politics, the yield on France’s 30-year bond yield rose above 4.5% on Tuesday — hitting a level last seen in 2008 — before lightly easing to to 4.48% on Wednesday.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlous
Adjective
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Battista and Tucker are two of the most dangerous hitters in the state.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
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If Iran gets away with charging any kind of toll or fee for passing through it, that principle is shot, and that is a dangerous thing.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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That land was also home to a portion of the Citizens Gas manufactured gas plant, leaving behind layers of coal tar and hazardous waste.—
Michelle de la Uz,
New York Daily News,
13 May 2026
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An air quality alert is issued by the government when air pollution levels reach unhealthy or hazardous levels to help people take proactive measures.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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In the second novel of the Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, Chakraborty sets her pirate protagonist out onto the high seas for some perilous pilfering after being dragged into her partner’s problems.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
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More than two months into the war in Iran, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz – the key waterway through which more than a third of the international trade in oil and gas passes – remains perilous and uncertain.—
Vivek Krishnamurthy,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Adjective
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When the sway gets too risky, the captain closes some of the outer decks.—
Akash Kapur,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Magic erasers are useful, but using them too often is risky.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The number of teams and bowls involved could shift as discussions become more serious.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny over e-bikes and e-motorcycles across Southern California following several serious and fatal crashes involving young riders.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Hollywood is in a precarious place.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
12 May 2026
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While white collar jobs, particularly those highly exposed to AI, seem more precarious by the day, AI’s infrastructure needs to have Huang and others pointing to the roles traditionally considered blue collar as perhaps the wise choice for new grads.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parlous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlous. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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