RISKY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

risky

adjective

ˈri-skē

Definition of risky next

as in dangerous

involving potential loss or injury a risky new adventure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Examples 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 And the loss of the Chrysler, a risky bet even before the office market crash, is only the most recent high-profile hit Rosen has taken in the last few years. —

Kim Velsey, Curbed, 19 Dec. 2024 That’s part of why U.S. Treasury bonds are viewed as a safe investment and used by some banks as a backstop to counteract risky investments. —

Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024 Such low cash holdings were last seen in 2002 and 2011, both of which preceded periods of volatility for risky assets. —

Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 Or a California doctor may decide that being a shield law provider is just too risky. —

Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for risky

Recent Examples of Synonyms for risky

Adjective

The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time.

The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024
The night was a downhill slope, a movement in woeful reverse, a tidal pull back into the tumult and dangerous madness of what must now be called the era of Trump.

Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024