risky

adjective

ˈri-skē 

riskier; riskiest

: attended with risk or danger : hazardous

riskiness noun

Synonyms

• dangerous
• grave
• grievous
• hazardous
• jeopardizing
• menacing
• parlous
• perilous
• serious
• threatening
• unhealthy
• unsafe
• venturesome

Choose the Right Synonym for risky

dangerous, hazardous, precarious, perilous, risky mean bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury.

dangerous applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully.

soldiers on a dangerous mission

hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

Examples of risky in a Sentence

Her plan is too risky.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fitch sees both San Francisco and San Jose as risky as San Diego — 15 percent to 19 percent overvalued. —Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024

So many newbie investors have lost money on the risky trading of derivatives — investment securities tied to other securities — that the regulators want to rein them back in. —Alex Travelli, New York Times, 31 May 2024

Conventional wisdom in the business world holds that a company lifer can be a risky choice as a new CEO. —Byphil Wahba and Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 28 May 2024

Vasectomy is much less risky because it's done in a healthcare provider's office with local anesthesia.13 Female sterilization (tubal ligation) means removing, blocking, or cutting the fallopian tubes. —Sarah Klein, Health, 28 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing risky

• risky business
• risky move

Kids Definition

risky

adjective

ˈris-kē 

riskier; riskiest

: having or bringing risk : dangerous