precipitate 1 of 3

precipitate

2 of 3

noun

precipitate

3 of 3

verb

as in to rain
to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds the air mass was dry, as much of the moisture had precipitated out on the other side of the mountains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective precipitate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of precipitate are abrupt, headlong, impetuous, and sudden. While all these words mean "showing undue haste or unexpectedness," precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

the army's precipitate withdrawal

When is it sensible to use abrupt instead of precipitate?

Although the words abrupt and precipitate have much in common, abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

an abrupt refusal

When is headlong a more appropriate choice than precipitate?

While the synonyms headlong and precipitate are close in meaning, headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

a headlong flight from arrest

When would impetuous be a good substitute for precipitate?

The words impetuous and precipitate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

an impetuous lover proposing marriage

When can sudden be used instead of precipitate?

The meanings of sudden and precipitate largely overlap; however, sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

flew into a sudden rage

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 precipitate
Adjective
An additional factor that has been increasingly in the mix is that old and deteriorating dam infrastructure can fail amidst excessive rainfall events and precipitate catastrophic flooding. Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023 Those updates references – and the series of chases, Rube Goldberg mechanisms, and bits of derring-do they all precipitate – also allowed the filmmaking to push their formal boundaries. Ben Croll, Variety, 14 June 2023
Noun
As the water increases in temperature, CaCO3 undergoes a chemical reaction and precipitates out of the water, forming incrustants, or little crystals. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2024 Gadgil and his students have been exploring several methods to perform the actual arsenic removal, generally involving binding up the poison into a precipitate that can be filtered. Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2015
Verb
Austin Riley’s one-out walk precipitated Matt Olson’s two-run blast in the first, and Marcell Ozuna hit one over and past the Green Monster to extend the lead to 3-0. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025 In the midst of the ensuing 25 minutes with reporters, Payton copped to the mishap that precipitated the light-hearted exchange. Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for precipitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitate
Adjective
  • And the hurried pace of the deportations has ignored due process, experts and advocates say.
    Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 10 June 2025
  • The stereotype of the hurried retail investor making split-second decisions based on little more than a hunch has been confirmed by groundbreaking academic research.
    Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • With results showing that only just over half of immigrants intend to stay in Germany permanently, the report signals trouble for Europe’s largest economy which is already struggling with historic labor shortages.
    Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
  • Per a memo from the fall on the bid results for the project, this summer’s renovation, the project’s first phase, will entail equipment replacement in the freshman wing, as well as adding air conditioning in the gymnasium area.
    Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • Some of the sediment layers contained the remains of ancient grass seeds mixed with the sediment.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
  • In fact, the waters here owe their otherworldly hue–which shifts from bright white to turquoise, cobalt and ultramarine–to a mineral-rich marine plant called Oceanic Posidonia that maintains the quality and oxygenation of the Balearic Sea by filtering the sediments.
    Isabelle Kliger, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • On Sunday, June 8, a cracked glass panel installed above the pool deck of Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas gave way, raining down shards on the lounge chairs of the deck below.
    Moná Thomas, People.com, 11 June 2025
  • As the final horn sounded and plastic rats rained down from the crowd at Amerant Bank Arena, there was yet another skirmish between the two teams that have built up plenty of bad blood despite being separated by more than 2,500 miles.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • After cooling, the resultant solid was ground into powder to produce the final pigment.
    Jay Kakade June 14, New Atlas, 14 June 2025
  • Meanwhile caretakers are concerned with something that can be even more challenging to address: the psychological trauma resultant from years of abuse in captivity.
    Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • In the investigation’s latest escalation, Comer subpoenaed Biden’s physician for a deposition later this month.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2025
  • The judge overseeing the dispute, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, had ordered DOGE to turn over certain documents to the watchdog group by June 3 and to complete all depositions, including of Gleason, by June 13.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Drugmakers have poured billions of dollars into developing ADCs.
    Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 17 June 2025
  • But as donations continued to pour in from well-wishers, the target was raised to $370,000, and more than $358,000 has been donated so far.
    Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • Crisp, curly hair indicates a hasty, somewhat impetuous and rash character.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
  • Ellie is rash and impulsive; Dina is lovestruck; Jesse is loyal and selfless.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Precipitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitate. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on precipitate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!