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

But that engagement drop was more tempered compared to 2021's precipitous year-over-year decline. —Neal Rothschild, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025

The streets here are steep, as in San Francisco-steep—so precipitous that brave locals (or crazy, some might say) hurtle down them in homemade bobsleds every January. —Cassidy Randall, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

What happened during the time in between was a precipitous fall for Rodgers. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025

The long passages of banal detail in Murakami’s fiction are a sort of ballast, anchoring his precipitous swerves into the fantastic. —Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French précipiteux, from Middle French, from Latin precipitium precipice

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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