Words / C1

pri-KAIRR-ee-uh-s/prɪˈkeəriəs/

Precarious means not safe or certain; likely to collapse: precarious work, a precarious pile. Unsafe and shaky are everyday; unstable is close. Precious is valued — a lookalike. Do not call a tenured, funded chair precarious without evidence.

Meaning

Not safe or certain; likely to fail or collapse.

Examples

• “Funding was precarious: one delayed invoice and the night lab closed.”
• “Funding was precarious: one late invoice and the night lab went dark.”
• “Shaky is everyday. Precarious employment is a set academic phrase. Precious data are valued, not unstable. A well-funded post is not precarious by fashion.”

Good to know

Unstable; easily lost. Everyday: shaky / unsafe. Set phrase: precarious work. Mix-up: precious (valued). Needs evidence of instability.

Near in meaning

unstable

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