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
What began as an emergency measure cannot become a convenient default whenever there is snow on the ground or temperatures drop precipitously.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
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
That total is slightly up from last year, but down precipitously from nearly 20 years ago.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 11 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
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
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
That total is slightly up from last year, but down precipitously from nearly 20 years ago.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 11 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitously
Adverb
-
The proliferation of novel cognitive frameworks through social media, as well as the election of corrupt and lawless people to high office, has intimidated the old elites into hastily reevaluating what is appropriate.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Some cautioned European leaders to avoid reacting hastily to Trump’s tariff threat.—
Kevin Breuninger,Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
17 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Multiple bilateral meetings aimed at finding a solution to the increasingly fraught war of words are being hurriedly arranged.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
19 Jan. 2026
-
But in this case, Woodbridge residents balked so loudly that the local zoning commission this month hurriedly rolled back its new, more permissive rules for multifamily residential complexes.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
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 30 Jan. 2026.
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