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

Early on, adoption can be risky, but everyone is talking about the technology. —Chantelle Lee, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025

Global histories, by dint of their ambition, can be risky. —Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

This made borrowing money cheap and incentivized investors such as venture capitalists to deploy more money and into riskier assets. —Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2025

Because driving is riskier than flying, that would mean more kids would die in car crashes than would be saved in planes if car seats and separate tickets were required. —Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing risky

• risky business
• risky move

Rhymes for risky

• frisky
• whiskey
• whisky

Kids Definition

risky

adjective

ˈris-kē 

riskier; riskiest

: having or bringing risk : dangerous