precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsi-pə-təs 

1

: precipitate sense 2

2

a

: very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging in rise or fall

a precipitous slope

b

: having precipitous sides

a precipitous gorge

c

: having a very steep ascent

a precipitous street

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun

Synonyms

• cursory
• drive-by
• flying
• gadarene
• hasty
• headlong
• helter-skelter
• hurried
• overhasty
• pell-mell
• precipitate
• rash
• rushed

Choose the Right Synonym for precipitous

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill

a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Examples of precipitous in a Sentence

There has been a precipitous decline in home sales recently.

People were shocked by his precipitous fall from political power.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Significant Other) film, starring Jack Quaid as a man named Nathan Caine who can't feel pain, has earned $8.7 million since its Friday premiere, overtaking Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi fantasia Mickey 17, which fell a precipitous 60% in its second week of release. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025

Intel, which dominated the semiconductor field for decades, is struggling with market-share losses, manufacturing setbacks and a precipitous decline in its earnings. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025

Given the importance of a strong credit score, a precipitous drop of 100 to 200 points has real implications for borrowers. —Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Yes, but: The U.S. hit a high water mark in 2019, with 1,274 cases before seeing a precipitous drop during the COVID pandemic. —Tina Reed, Axios, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French précipiteux, from Middle French, from Latin precipitium precipice

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precipitous

• serendipitous

Kids Definition

precipitous

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tous pri-ˈsip-ət-əs 

1

: showing unwise and unnecessary haste : rash

a precipitous act

2

: steep like a precipice

a precipitous slope

precipitously adverb

precipitousness noun