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Man's survival, from the time of Adam and Eve until the invention of agriculture, must have been precarious because of his inability to ensure his food supply.
Norman Borlaug

Meaning of "precarious" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PRECARIOUS

From Latin precārius obtained by begging (hence, dependent on another's will), from prexprayer1.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF PRECARIOUS

precarious  [prɪˈkɛərɪəs] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PRECARIOUS

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Precarious is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES PRECARIOUS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Precarium

The precarium —or precaria in the feminine form—is a form of land tenure in which a petitioner receives a property for a specific amount of time without any change of ownership. The precarium is thus a free gift made on request and can be revoked. The grantor can reclaim the land and evict the grantee at any time, and the grantee's hold on the land is said to be "precarious". The precarium arose in the late Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages it became a legal fiction, and the two parties usually signed a contract specifying the rent or services owed by the petitioner. Some precaria eventually became hereditary fiefs. In the Merovingian period the feminine form became common, but in the eighth century the term beneficium began to replace precarium, although the institutions were practically identical.

Definition of precarious in the English dictionary

The definition of precarious in the dictionary is liable to failure or catastrophe; insecure; perilous. Other definition of precarious is dependent on another's will.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH PRECARIOUS


Aquarius
əˈkwɛərɪəs
Arius
ˈɛərɪəs
Briareus
braɪˈɛərɪəs
calcareous
kælˈkɛərɪəs
carious
ˈkɛərɪəs
denarius
dɪˈnɛərɪəs
Galerius
ɡəˈlɛərɪəs
gregarious
ɡrɪˈɡɛərɪəs
hilarious
hɪˈlɛərɪəs
malarious
məˈlɛərɪəs
Marius
ˈmɛərɪəs
multifarious
ˌmʌltɪˈfɛərɪəs
nefarious
nɪˈfɛərɪəs
retiarius
ˌriːtɪˈɛərɪəs
Sagittarius
ˌsædʒɪˈtɛərɪəs
scarious
ˈskɛərɪəs
Stradivarius
ˌstrædɪˈvɛərɪəs
urticarious
ˌɜːtɪˈkɛərɪəs
various
ˈvɛərɪəs
vicarious
vɪˈkɛərɪəs

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE PRECARIOUS

precalculus
Precambrian
precancel
precancellation
precancelled
precancelling
precancer
precancerous
precapitalist
precariously
precariousness
precast
precast concrete
precative
precatory
precaudal
precaution
precautional
precautionary
precautionary principle

WORDS THAT END LIKE PRECARIOUS

bi-curious
curious
deleterious
delicious
delirious
furious
glorious
illustrious
industrious
inglorious
injurious
laborious
lugubrious
luxurious
meritorious
mysterious
notorious
serious
spurious
vainglorious
victorious

Synonyms and antonyms of precarious in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «PRECARIOUS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «precarious» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of precarious

Translation of «precarious» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF PRECARIOUS

Find out the translation of precarious to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of precarious from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «precarious» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

不安定的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

precario
570 millions of speakers

English

precarious
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अनिश्चित
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

خطورة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

нестабильным
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

precário
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

নিরাপত্তাহীন
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

précaire
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tidak menentu
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

prekär
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

不安定な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

위태로운
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ora mesthi
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

bấp bênh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நிலையற்ற
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अनिश्चित
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

istikrarsız
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

precario
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

niepewna
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

нестабільним
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

precară
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

επισφαλείς
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

haglike
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

otrygga
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

prekær
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of precarious

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «PRECARIOUS»

The term «precarious» is quite widely used and occupies the 39.938 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
82
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «precarious» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of precarious
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «precarious».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «PRECARIOUS» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «precarious» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «precarious» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about precarious

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «PRECARIOUS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word precarious.
1
Jane Addams
The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.
2
Norman Borlaug
Man's survival, from the time of Adam and Eve until the invention of agriculture, must have been precarious because of his inability to ensure his food supply.
3
Ewen Bremner
Acting is a precarious business. I have had periods where I felt like I couldn't get arrested, but you have to see it as a long game.
4
Morris Raphael Cohen
Liberalism regards life as an adventure in which we must take risks in new situation, in which there is no guarantee that the new will always be the good or the true, in which progress is a precarious achievement rather than inevitability.
5
Morris Raphael Cohen
Liberalism, on the other hand, regards life as an adventure in which we must take risks in new situations, in which there is no guarantee that the new will always be the good or the true, in which progress is a precarious achievement rather than inevitability.
6
Larry David
Every relationship is just so tenuous and precarious.
7
Warwick Davis
My life is quite physical anyway. When you are three-foot-six you kind of have to climb stuff now and again, and you find yourself in quite precarious situations just to manage in what is quite a big world.
8
Terry Eagleton
For Aristotle, goodness is a kind of prospering in the precarious affair of being human.
9
William Falconer
The simplicity and uniformity of rural occupations, and their incessant practice, preclude any anxieties and agitations of hope and fear, to which employments of a more precarious and casual nature are subject.
10
Joschka Fischer
The situation in Iraq is dangerous but the regional situation is also very complicated and precarious.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PRECARIOUS»

Discover the use of precarious in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to precarious and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence
An appraisal of post-September 11 America presents the U.S. government's decision to attack Afghanistan and Iraq as a response to loss and grief, arguing that the vulnerability being experienced in the western world is posing an opportunity ...
Judith Butler, 2006
2
Precarious Employment: Understanding Labour Market ...
'Precarious Employment' explores the nature and dynamics of precarious employment in contemporary Canada.
Leah F. Vosko, 2006
3
Precarious International Multicultural Education:Hegemony, ...
The essays in this collection will be of considerable interest to academics, policy makers and students of both multiculturalism and multicultural education principally because they touch on both perspectives but concentrate for the most ...
Handel Kashope Wright, Michael Singh, Richard Race, 2012
4
Precarious Japan
In an era of irregular labor, nagging recession, nuclear contamination, and a shrinking population, Japan is facing precarious times. How the Japanese experience insecurity in their daily and social lives is the subject of Precarious Japan.
Anne Allison, 2013
5
Precarious work, women and the new economy: the challenge to ...
This collection of original essays by leading scholars on labor law and women's work explores the relationship between precarious work and gender, and evaluates the extent to which the growth and spread of precarious work challenges ...
Judy Fudge, Rosemary J. Owens, 2006
6
Our Precarious Habitat
Among these are: the ecology of health and disease; chemicals in our foods; pesticides; waste-disposal systems; air, water, and noise pollution; radiation; population; and the political aspects of pollution.
Melvin A. Benarde, 1973
7
Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious ...
Good Jobs, Bad Jobs provides an insightful analysis of how and why precarious employment is gaining ground in the labor market and the role these developments have played in the decline of the middle class.
Arne L. Kalleberg, 2011
8
Precarious Liberation: Workers, the State, and Contested ...
Examines the relationship of precarious employment to state policies on citizenship and social inclusion in the context of postapartheid South Africa.
Franco Barchiesi, 2011
9
Precarious
The stories in Precarious are about doing the right thing and regretting it.
Al Riske, 2010
10
Globalization and Precarious Forms of Production and ...
This book makes a unique and invaluable contribution to our understanding of the changing nature of employment and its consequences for industrialized societies.
Carole Thornley, Steve Jefferys, Beatrice Appay, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PRECARIOUS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term precarious is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Fleeting fixtures and precarious lives in the migrant camp of Fortress …
Fleeting fixtures and precarious lives in the migrant camp of Fortress Calais. With street lights and bike shops springing up in the 'Jungle' there ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
2
PNG Ok Tedi facing precarious future
A Papua New Guinea commentator says the Government is facing a serious blow to its revenue with a shut down at the OK Tedi mine. Ok Tedi ... «Radio New Zealand, Jul 15»
3
MEDIA ADVISORY: More precarious health status of northern …
STURGEON FALLS, ONTARIO and MATTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 27, 2015) - The authors of a study that chronicled the ... «Digital Journal, Jul 15»
4
Gold Price Poses Precarious Situation
But they still face a precarious situation, with predictions of a continued gold price fall that will squeeze margins for producers and limit ... «MarketPulse, Jul 15»
5
A precarious living for children in Iraq
Erbil - In the 36°C noontime heat, 12-year-old Mohammad Fadae, a refugee child from the Syrian city of Qamishli, prepared to leave for his job ... «News24, Jul 15»
6
The story of the Ottawa River: Priceless and precarious
“This river is priceless, and precarious. It has given us many gifts, including this country we call Canada. It's time for us to give back to the river ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»
7
“Tasker” movement championed as solution to Toronto's precarious
“The answer is to create a new world of precarious work which is centred on the worker and making irregular work as accessible, as safe, as ... «Toronto Star, Jul 15»
8
Lack of public support leaves Boston bid in precarious position
Pick a number, any number between 66 and 90. That's the percentage of public support that the International Olympic Committee customarily ... «Boston Globe, Jul 15»
9
Vaughn Palmer: Precarious politics and the disastrous HST decision
“The Precarious Politics of Shifting Direction: The Introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax in B.C. and Ontario,” focuses on the “naturally ... «Vancouver Sun, Jul 15»
10
Precarious drive shows halting views of Colorado National Monument
From here, Rim Rock Road lives up to its name as it follows the rim and often hugs the rocks, winding a precarious path past canyons and cliffs. «St. George Daily Spectrum, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Precarious [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/precarious>. May 2024 ».
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