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precipitous

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of precipitous

1 acting or done with excessive or careless speed

  • soon regretted our precipitous actions in international affairs
Synonyms of precipitous

cursory, drive-by, flying, gadarene, hasty, headlong, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitate, rash, rushed
Words Related to precipitous

breakneck, breathtaking

headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised

quick, rapid, speedy, swift

horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment

abrupt, sudden
Near Antonyms of precipitous

calculated, calculating, measured

circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful

drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged

faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative

dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow
Antonyms of precipitous

deliberate, unhurried, unrushed

2 having an incline approaching the perpendicular

  • a precipitous ski slope that fully merits its triple diamond designation
Synonyms of precipitous

abrupt, bold, sheer, steep
Words Related to precipitous

perpendicular, plumb, straight, vertical

craggy, hillocky, hilly, mountainous, scarped

angled, canted, cocked, heeled, inclined, listed, slanted, sloped, tilted, tipped
Near Antonyms of precipitous

gentle, gradual, moderate, soft

even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth, unruffled, unwrinkled
Antonyms of precipitous

easy

Synonym Discussion of precipitous

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular. steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.
    • a steep hill
    • a steep dive
abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.
    • a beach with an abrupt drop-off
precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.
    • the river winds through a precipitous gorge
sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.
    • sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Learn More about precipitous

  1. See words that rhyme with precipitous Dictionary: Definition of precipitous Spanish Central: Translation of precipitous Nglish: Translation of precipitous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of precipitous for Arabic speakers

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