as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
the sight of swimmers exiting the water precipitously when some joker shouted "Shark!"
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Recent Examples of precipitously
Murphy’s being booted from Back in Town comes shortly after the disco singer shared a graph on social media which purported to show that the percentage of 18-to-22-year-olds identifying as trans or nonbinary fell precipitously between 2021 and 2024.
—
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
After this change, Adam Raine’s engagement with the chatbot increased precipitously, from a few dozen chats per day in January to a few hundred chats per day in April, with a tenfold increase in the fraction of those conversations relating to self-harm.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent studies show Arizona's Christian population has dropped precipitously from 71% in 2007 to 58% in 2024.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Absent congressional action, their premiums are set to increase precipitously.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 18 Oct. 2025
The Palestinian issue was falling precipitously in the global order of priorities for many years prior to October 7th.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
This year, though, that number dropped precipitously, amounting to just 218 million bushels during the first eight months of 2025.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
Even when the Malaise Era hit in the 1970s and a combination of an oil crisis and pollution-fighting policies saw horsepower drop precipitously, the luxury coupe couldn’t be stopped.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2025
There is only a 30 percent probability of Connor offering surplus value at that price; there’s even a chance Connor’s game falls off precipitously in his mid-30s.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
After this change, Adam Raine’s engagement with the chatbot increased precipitously, from a few dozen chats per day in January to a few hundred chats per day in April, with a tenfold increase in the fraction of those conversations relating to self-harm.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent studies show Arizona's Christian population has dropped precipitously from 71% in 2007 to 58% in 2024.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Absent congressional action, their premiums are set to increase precipitously.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 18 Oct. 2025
The Palestinian issue was falling precipitously in the global order of priorities for many years prior to October 7th.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
This year, though, that number dropped precipitously, amounting to just 218 million bushels during the first eight months of 2025.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
Even when the Malaise Era hit in the 1970s and a combination of an oil crisis and pollution-fighting policies saw horsepower drop precipitously, the luxury coupe couldn’t be stopped.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2025
There is only a 30 percent probability of Connor offering surplus value at that price; there’s even a chance Connor’s game falls off precipitously in his mid-30s.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitously
Adverb
-
The revelation that the tattoo had been hastily covered up is just the latest bizarre twist that the high-stakes Senate race had taken in just the past 10 days.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
On July 7, 1971, Courson and a few others hastily buried Morrison in a place he was said to have loved, Père Lachaise, before going public.—
David Kushner,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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But as rumors swirled that the gang was on its way to launch another assault, merchants in the market could be seen hurriedly packing their goods.—
Ychmuth Corneille,
Miami Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
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Book influencers and everyday readers lined up hurriedly to take photos with Aster and get their manuscripts signed.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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This is important, since most people who try to kill themselves do so impulsively.—
Dr. Theresa T. Nguyen,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
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Set in 1990, the show follows a closeted teenager named Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), who impulsively joins the Marines to follow his enlisting best friend, despite the ban on gay people in the military.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precipitously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitously. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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