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
To make sure that in condensing everything, there is nothing forced or too precipitate, no unwieldly jumps. John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024 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
Noun
Once completed, the smelter will produce 90,000 tonnes of mixed hydroxide precipitate, a crucial material for making EV batteries. Yessar Rosendar, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 Says the report: The calomel is captured as a precipitate and transferred to a mercury recycler who presumably converts it to elemental mercury and sells it into commerce. . . . Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
The federal government is expected at midnight to run out of money, precipitating a shutdown, unless lawmakers come together on Tuesday to resolve their differences. ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025 So did Fergie, with other affairs that became public knowledge and precipitated the divorce. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for precipitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitate
Adjective
  • Carter had to make a hurried Middle East trip – including a speech to the Knesset – before the two nations formally signed a treaty some six months hence.
    Carl Leubsdorf, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Francis Westfield went close with a diving header from the edge of the box, and Luke Brennan wasted a glorious chance for a late leveller when he was found unmarked at the back post, but his hurried shot flew high and wide.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • It’s long been stated that his departure was the result of a disagreement with van Doesburg over the use of diagonal lines in De Stijl artworks, which van Doesburg supported and Mondrian was against.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025
  • This format typically includes all performances, judge feedback, and elimination results.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • His skeleton is well preserved, his bones dappled with gooey-looking sediment.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
  • For the new study, the researchers examined more than 130 sediment cores that record roughly 3,000 years of geological history.
    Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And boos rained down when Australia tried to knock the ball around in the back, refusing to engage Canada with forward momentum.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • For more than a century, people have wondered if the city is ungovernable; with the exception of Fiorello La Guardia, who had New Deal money raining down on him, every idealistic leader who has been elected mayor has left City Hall in some way battered by it.
    Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Our poor Toby, always so stressed, always so rushed.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
  • These alternatives can often provide a richer, less rushed experience than a whirlwind day trip to Paris.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Moyes and assistant McKinlay both remonstrated with the fourth official at the resultant flash of a yellow card.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The resultant program or app is established without any need for understanding computer programming.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Use cases include techniques such as chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and physical vapor deposition.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Though his lawsuit was against Jones, his attorneys broadened their campaign, bombarding the company and its officials with subpoenas and deposition requests.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Photos from the scene show heavy flames pouring from an upper window in the yellow house.
    Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Matthiessen was born in 1927 to a pair of well-off, chronically depressed New Yorkers, people who were more likely to pour a stiff drink or take to their beds than to talk openly about their feelings.
    Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Precipitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitate. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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