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 Trump’s decision and the risks The decision to attack was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partly on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts. Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025 Over seven in 10 have consistently said that giving presidents more power would be too risky, including majorities of Democrats and Republicans, no matter which party is in power. Steven Kull, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025 Show more And on Monday, hospital staff accomplished a minor medical feat: doctors birthed triplets in a cesarean section procedure that the delivering physician said would have been complicated and risky even in the best of times. Nbc News, NBC news, 20 June 2025 Projecting ahead, paying him something like $90 million over the next three years seems fair, but going much beyond that feels risky. John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for risky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for risky
Adjective
  • And the Santa Barbara temblor revealed just how dangerous brick buildings built in that era could be.
    Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
  • After landing, the most dangerous times, statistically speaking, are takeoff, approach, and initial climb.
    Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Many analysts believe that robots like the K2 are likely to complement human workers by taking over monotonous or hazardous duties, which allows people to focus on more complex, creative, or supervisory tasks.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
  • Researchers worldwide are already focusing on multimodal robots that can adjust to their environments and access sites too hazardous or difficult for humans to reach.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Darién Gap, long a perilous route for millions of migrants traveling north toward the United States, has also become a pathway for the northward spread of the New World screwworm—a parasitic fly now challenging decades of containment efforts.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
  • The deepest fear: Just four years after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan ended America's longest war, the United States is now enmeshed in another war in a volatile region, with perilous and uncertain consequences.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Some 182 people with serious mental illness in the city jails are waiting for one of those beds, city correction officials said Thursday.
    Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
  • So far, the project has helped some counties reduce their administrative separation populations by up to 90% through limiting isolation to cases of recent violence and banning the use of restrictive housing for people with serious mental illness.
    Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Risky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/risky. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on risky

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