as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
window washing can indeed be a parlous occupation on a skyscraper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
That is exactly why these fake job offers are so dangerous.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Over the last week, the greatest threat of dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves has been on the beaches facing south or southwest, officials said.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Strong longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties and other hazardous areas.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
-
The 12% concentrate is significantly more hazardous than the standard household version.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
When the perilous search for the Northwest Passage sparked a wave of popular interest in the Arctic, Church set off by schooner in search of icebergs.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
Leo wrapped up his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
In one of them he was seen hanging from the edge of a rocky cliff using his bare hands, his legs dangling toward a steep slope in a risky performance without safety equipment.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
Regalado said Miami-Dade was rushing into a risky legal fight.—
Douglas Hanks
June 16,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
My office will continue to vigorously prosecute defendants who pose serious threats to our community’s safety, especially our children.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
In a touching tribute, Saliba ran over to the sideline after scoring and held up the jersey of Ismaël Koné, the teammate who left the field on a stretcher minutes earlier after suffering what looked to be a serious leg injury.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
What begins as a race to the Moon becomes a mirror of our current, precarious era, just as a new global space race ignites.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
17 June 2026
-
The defensive play helped buoy an otherwise precarious start by pitcher Eric Lauer.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parlous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlous. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
