adjective

precarious

pri-KAIR-ee-us/prɪˈkeriəs/

Dangerously unstable, insecure, or uncertain.

The leaning stack of dishes is in a precarious balance.

A tall, visibly leaning stack of mismatched ceramic dishes balances on a small table, with its bottom plate projecting far beyond the edge and the upper dishes slipping toward the exposed drop.

Etymology

precariousLatinobtained by asking; dependent on favor

Something obtained by asking depended on another person's favor rather than a secure right. That dependence supplied the bridge from the original legal meaning to the broader sense of dangerous uncertainty.

In context

TED5:28

these poor snails in a kind of precarious situation, because if they go too low in the water, then crabs are a threat

The problem of light pollution -- and 5 ridiculously easy ways to fix it | Kelsey Johnson

More examples

Their finances are precarious after months without work.
He maintains a precarious balance on the narrow ledge.
The fragile agreement leaves the region in a precarious situation.

Forms

precarious · more precarious · most precarious

Similar words

unstable: Describes a lack of steadiness without necessarily implying danger.
perilous: Perilous means dangerous; precarious stresses insecure support or uncertain stability.