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
New iterations and versions of AI systems have caused usage fees to fall precipitously, which the AVA team sees as a key advantage of AI tools given limited court budgets.
—
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
After decades of successful cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime, relations between Colombia and the United States are at a historic nadir and precipitously getting worse.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
For a century or so, Hollywood has balanced those two elements precipitously.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
That efficiency drops, precipitously.
—Sam McDowell December 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025
Tourism from China has fallen even more precipitously, going from 119,000 visitors in 2019 to just 54,370 this year.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
In fact, StubHub just recently went public, and its stock has declined precipitously because of these actions.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, the president’s approval ratings have fallen precipitously in numerous polls, with respondents consistently pointing to the high cost of living as a main concern.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Since then, faith in politicians has declined precipitously, while the rise of AI has made the public’s perception ever easier to manipulate.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
After decades of successful cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime, relations between Colombia and the United States are at a historic nadir and precipitously getting worse.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
For a century or so, Hollywood has balanced those two elements precipitously.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
That efficiency drops, precipitously.
—Sam McDowell December 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025
Tourism from China has fallen even more precipitously, going from 119,000 visitors in 2019 to just 54,370 this year.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
In fact, StubHub just recently went public, and its stock has declined precipitously because of these actions.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, the president’s approval ratings have fallen precipitously in numerous polls, with respondents consistently pointing to the high cost of living as a main concern.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Since then, faith in politicians has declined precipitously, while the rise of AI has made the public’s perception ever easier to manipulate.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitously
Adverb
-
According to the statement, the decision to immediately launch the platform was hastily made and left little time to be reviewed and noted that the information submitted by parents and student is not covered under the district’s privacy policies.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
14 Jan. 2026
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Rather than working with his ally Machado, Rubio was obliged to deal directly with Rodríguez, who had been hastily inaugurated as the interim leader.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Fast-forward to them being pulled over by the side of the boarding line, having to hurriedly transfer essentials between their personal item bag and their carry-on.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In a gymnasium in the northeastern Thai city of Surin, around 550 people are waiting out the combat, many having hurriedly fled after the first shots were fired Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Seeking revenge, Onimaru impulsively picks up a demonic sword in a shortcut to power, setting off a grand adventure.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
-
After spending weeks volunteering at her local nursing home, Angela can’t help but sympathize with her former father-in-law and impulsively decides to move him into her home with Tommy.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precipitously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitously. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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