Synonym Chooser

How is the word precipitous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of precipitous are abrupt, sheer, and steep. While all these words mean "having an incline approaching the perpendicular," precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

When might abrupt be a better fit than precipitous?

The meanings of abrupt and precipitous largely overlap; however, abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

When is sheer a more appropriate choice than precipitous?

In some situations, the words sheer and precipitous are roughly equivalent. However, sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

When would steep be a good substitute for precipitous?

The synonyms steep and precipitous are sometimes interchangeable, but steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill
a steep dive

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 precipitous But the company’s electric vehicle sales nosedived, with a 25% overall decrease, brought down by a precipitous 41.7% drop in sales for its F-150 Lightning EV. Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 3 June 2025 Corn, 55, is smack in the middle of that 52-57 age bracket when women experience precipitous bone density loss but received her diagnosis at 40. Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 4 June 2025 Meanwhile, the overall manufacturing employment is slightly below 2019 levels despite a precipitous increase in the working-age population since then. Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 Apparel bookings in particular took a precipitous, 60-percent tumble in anticipation of the tariff fallout. Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for precipitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitous
Adjective
  • Yet in spite of its rather hurried origins, it’s gone on to become a General Motors success story in the quarter-century since it was created.
    Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 17 June 2025
  • And the hurried pace of the deportations has ignored due process, experts and advocates say.
    Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Senate's steeper cuts to Medicaid are likely to irritate moderates while the higher price tag could alienate conservatives.
    Caitlin Yilek July 1, CBS News, 1 July 2025
  • Challenges need to be overcome, such as insufficient quality of input data, limited historical data, lack of highly skilled data scientists and analysts, regulatory compliance and steep adoption costs.
    Alexandr Khomich, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Talks with different countries are ongoing, but are subject to sudden changes in direction.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • Given the sudden burst of interest, agentic AI risks becoming something that’s all too common in business: a topic that everyone is talking about, but that few people actually understand.
    Tomas Gorny, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Written and directed by documentarian Brian Tetsuro Ivie (Emanuel) in his narrative directorial debut, the film tells the story of an impulsive young woman and a reclusive older man who launch on a poignant cross‑country road trip.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
  • Unfortunately, impulsive, inventory-optimization metric chasing often soothes symptoms while elevating strategic risk.
    Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • This momentary pause, this saving interruption of the headlong, breathless trajectory of rape or murder, admitted a kind of compassion, pity, even tenderness, halting injustice in its tracks.
    Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
  • But swirling around it are immigration restrictions, headlong and haphazard reductions in Federal spending and a separate but related confidence shock weighing on consumer behavior.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Such shifts would allow Washington to update its global force posture without hasty changes that surprise allies and create security gaps leading to deterrence failures.
    REBECCA LISSNER, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • Analysts and investors say that may have been a little hasty.
    Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • In Ron DeSantis’ Florida, there’s no room for rash criticism of that policy.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
  • The Dodgers stormed back once again from a deficit, this time at home at Dodger Stadium, scoring four runs in the sixth inning to knock off the Yankees, 8-5, in the first of a three-game set that’ll draw more rash reactions than are probably warranted.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • These raids are reckless and sow more chaos and division in our city.
    Anna Commander Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • Two other Democrats, however, have denounced the strikes as a reckless escalation.
    Lila Hempel-Edgers, Charlotte Observer, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Precipitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitous. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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