1
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
workers are forbidden from engaging in unsafe activities on company time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
people who have a record of being unsafe drivers usually have to pay higher insurance premiums
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 unsafe
If closeness was inconsistent, conditional or unsafe in your formative years, then your brain likely learned to keep expectations low.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Coincidences like mass shootings at the start and end of summer 2025, especially one involving youth downtown over the Fourth of July weekend, leave community members feeling unprotected and unsafe.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 28 Jan. 2026
For example, older car seats may no longer meet current regulations, rendering them unsafe for use.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Jan. 2026
However, at times, reconciliation should not occur – perhaps due to a toxic or unsafe relationship.
—Richard Balkin, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Coincidences like mass shootings at the start and end of summer 2025, especially one involving youth downtown over the Fourth of July weekend, leave community members feeling unprotected and unsafe.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 28 Jan. 2026
For example, older car seats may no longer meet current regulations, rendering them unsafe for use.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Jan. 2026
However, at times, reconciliation should not occur – perhaps due to a toxic or unsafe relationship.
—Richard Balkin, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsafe
Adjective
-
More than a billion phones are now ineligible for security updates at a time when the threat landscape has never been more dangerous.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The church opened its warming center over the weekend, anticipating the arrival of the winter storm and the dangerous drop in temperatures.—
Leondra Head,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Prevent damage by avoiding sodium ice melt, careless plowing, and watering dormant grass.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Among the violations for which troopers most frequently issued citations in 2025 were careless driving, operating a motorcycle without a license endorsement, and speeding 10 mph to 29 mph over the limit.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This week, a powerful winter storm dumped a hazardous mix of snow, ice, and sleet across much of the United States, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, grounding flights, closing schools, and disrupting the lives of more than 200 million Americans.—
Cat Ward,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Most areas in North Texas were covered in ice, sleet and snow, creating hazardous conditions.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Later that month, a reckless driver trying to flee police hit and killed a 28-year-old man.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Oceanside City Council recently revised their e-bike ordinance to allow law enforcement to confiscate e-bikes from reckless riders.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dell is finally good at something—but as her behavior becomes riskier and a shadowy troll threatens to expose her dark past, Dell must reckon with what her digital life ignores, and what real redemption means.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The statistic is built on what specific living individuals are willing to pay for small risk reductions in their own lives (often estimated via surveys or observing wage premiums for risky jobs).—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The crises that Sundance faces—the lingering shadow of the pandemic, the perilous state of theatrical exhibition—are hardly Sundance’s alone.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
That being said, investing in a single stock without thorough analysis can be perilous.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsafe. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
