precarious means dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
precarious is pronounced /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/.
Why “precarious” is a great word
Dangerously insecure or unstable, often because dependent on uncertain conditions or the favor of another. From Latin precārius ("obtained by entreaty, depending on favor"), from prex, precis ("prayer, entreaty"), first attested in English in the 1640s as a legal term. Unlike "unstable," which suggests a general lack of steadiness, or "uncertain," which describes mere unpredictability, precarious names the specific, chilling instability that leans over an abyss. It is the teacup balanced on the knee of a sleeping passenger, the livelihood that hangs on a patron’s whim, the makeshift ladder propped against a rain-slick wall—a state of suspended falling, where survival depends on the mercy of forces one does not control.
Etymology
From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario.
adj
- Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
- Depending on the intention of another.
- Relating to incipient caries.