as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
window washing can indeed be a parlous occupation on a skyscraper
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Recent Examples of parlous
Its economic position is parlous, its demographic situation is miserable and its military capacities have atrophied, and most of the chest-thumping about a revival of European power is empty talk and fantasy politics.
—
Ross Douthat, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
Such parlous conditions have turned Syrian campuses into hotbeds of corruption and scientific fraud.
—Byrichard Stone, science.org, 23 Dec. 2024
The movie examines the experiences of four Mexican journalists to illustrate the parlous state of the press in Mexico, where at least 165 journalists have been killed or gone missing since 1992.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
With figures like this on the table and given the current parlous state of the industry, surely the most pertinent question is whether movie theaters can afford not to be thinking about how best to welcome in their customers with different needs.
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—Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Ross Douthat, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
Such parlous conditions have turned Syrian campuses into hotbeds of corruption and scientific fraud.
—Byrichard Stone, science.org, 23 Dec. 2024
The movie examines the experiences of four Mexican journalists to illustrate the parlous state of the press in Mexico, where at least 165 journalists have been killed or gone missing since 1992.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
With figures like this on the table and given the current parlous state of the industry, surely the most pertinent question is whether movie theaters can afford not to be thinking about how best to welcome in their customers with different needs.
Follow me on LinkedIn.
—Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlous
Adjective
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And the Santa Barbara temblor revealed just how dangerous brick buildings built in that era could be.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
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After landing, the most dangerous times, statistically speaking, are takeoff, approach, and initial climb.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Many analysts believe that robots like the K2 are likely to complement human workers by taking over monotonous or hazardous duties, which allows people to focus on more complex, creative, or supervisory tasks.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
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There’s more stupid romance around harder substances but few chemicals are more hazardous to ambition than THC.—
Benjamin Hale
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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The deepest fear: Just four years after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan ended America's longest war, the United States is now enmeshed in another war in a volatile region, with perilous and uncertain consequences.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
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The Darién Gap, long a perilous route for millions of migrants traveling north toward the United States, has also become a pathway for the northward spread of the New World screwworm—a parasitic fly now challenging decades of containment efforts.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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After multiple years of development invested in most of Booth’s draftees, that type of deal would also be risky in its own right.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
24 June 2025
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Howe may have a change of approach in mind, but such a hefty outlay on a player who doesn’t solve an obvious tactical conundrum is risky at the very least.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Some 182 people with serious mental illness in the city jails are waiting for one of those beds, city correction officials said Thursday.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
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So far, the project has helped some counties reduce their administrative separation populations by up to 90% through limiting isolation to cases of recent violence and banning the use of restrictive housing for people with serious mental illness.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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At one point, officials even attempted to force TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations under threat of a ban—underscoring how precarious a creator’s dependence on one app can be.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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In some respects, the outset of this summer feels less precarious for the organization than the last one did.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlous. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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