Synonyms of risky

risky

adjective

ˈri-skē 

as in dangerous

involving potential loss or injury

a risky new adventure

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dangerous
• hazardous
• perilous
• serious
• unsafe
• precarious
• treacherous
• threatening
• menacing
• unhealthy
• venturesome
• random
• grave
• grievous
• uncertain
• parlous
• jeopardizing
• fatal
• destructive
• detrimental
• harmful
• unpleasant
• bad
• dicey
• insecure
• adverse
• haphazard
• lethal
• sickening
• chance
• deadly
• ugly
• injurious
• distressing
• nasty
• fell
• murderous
• deleterious
• pernicious
• ultrahazardous
• malignant
• hurtful
• wicked
• evil
• killer
• noxious
• inimical
• fateful
• dire
• baneful
• ill
• mortal
• baleful
• deathly
• pestilent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• safe
• harmless
• innocuous
• innocent
• beneficial
• nonthreatening
• nonhazardous
• good
• advantageous
• unthreatening
• ultrasafe

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

Recent Examples of risky

Kane’s program, housed under CMS, was created to support mothers on Medicaid — increasing access to birth centers, doulas and midwives, cutting down on risky procedures like C-sections and tracking outcomes like low infant birth weight. —Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2025

Comedy, its reach lengthened by the ubiquity of YouTube and WhatsApp, has become riskier. —Alex Travelli, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Historically, financial markets have always classified equities as risky and bonds as safe. —Korok Ray, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Three years is pretty risky for a 34-year-old first baseman, but Walker’s market was way stronger than expected. —Tim Britton, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025