Synonym Chooser

How is the word risky distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of risky are dangerous, hazardous, perilous, and precarious. While all these words mean "bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury," risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

When can dangerous be used instead of risky?

While the synonyms dangerous and risky are close in meaning, dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.

soldiers on a dangerous mission

When could hazardous be used to replace risky?

Although the words hazardous and risky have much in common, hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

When would perilous be a good substitute for risky?

The words perilous and risky can be used in similar contexts, but perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

When might precarious be a better fit than risky?

While in some cases nearly identical to risky, precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

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Examples of risky In comparison, firefighting seems like a risky, manual job with an aging workforce that requires outdated tools and skills foreign to the new, young workers. Jason Cerrano, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025 Surgery can be risky and irreversible, while medications often bring unpleasant side effects and a risk of regaining weight once treatment stops. Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2025 Sydney Sweeney is an aspiring country singer who concocts a risky scheme to get some cash in the trailer for Americana. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025 Something about this one note prompted even this pitiful creature to a risky gesture of mercy. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for risky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for risky
Adjective
  • This, in effect, frames even the movie’s unrelated, apolitical happenings as being at the mercy of this dangerous future, backed by Western powers.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 May 2025
  • Cruise’s wing-walking sequence was somehow even more dangerous.
    Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • The cities with some of the highest rates of poverty and the most people of color have borne the burden of the state’s hazardous waste facilities.
    Sarah McCoy, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
  • The warning is issued to notify fire officials of potentially hazardous weather conditions expected within the next 12 to 24 hours.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • However, the state remains in one of the most perilous parts of the U.S. coastline for rising sea levels.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025
  • So Far After the duo were able to make it all the way from Jackson to Seattle without incident, the city itself quickly proves perilous.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • Some of the Thunderbird pilots flying high had to overcome serious obstacles on the ground.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 24 May 2025
  • Mouse Deals The Razer Viper V2 Pro gaming mouse is a blessing for serious esports players, even more so with a $50 price cut.
    Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 24 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Risky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/risky. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on risky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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