Synonyms of dangerous

dangerous

adjective

ˈdān-jə-rəs 

1

as in hazardous

involving potential loss or injury

the soldiers were specially selected to go on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hazardous
• risky
• perilous
• serious
• unsafe
• precarious
• treacherous
• menacing
• threatening
• unhealthy
• random
• fatal
• destructive
• grave
• grievous
• venturesome
• detrimental
• harmful
• parlous
• unpleasant
• uncertain
• bad
• lethal
• deadly
• jeopardizing
• sickening
• adverse
• murderous
• nasty
• insecure
• fell
• ugly
• haphazard
• dicey
• killer
• injurious
• chance
• distressing
• pernicious
• malignant
• evil
• wicked
• deleterious
• noxious
• hurtful
• ultrahazardous
• dire
• baneful
• inimical
• fateful
• ill
• mortal
• baleful
• pestilent
• deathly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• safe
• harmless
• innocuous
• innocent
• beneficial
• nonthreatening
• nonhazardous
• good
• advantageous
• unthreatening
• ultrasafe

2

as in harmful

causing or capable of causing harm

the common knowledge that smoking is dangerous to one's health hasn't stopped some people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harmful
• detrimental
• damaging
• adverse
• hazardous
• bad
• poisonous
• injurious
• infectious
• pernicious
• evil
• deleterious
• noxious
• prejudicial
• hurtful
• mischievous
• baneful
• wicked
• deadly
• ill
• unsafe
• destructive
• hostile
• nocuous
• baleful
• risky
• lethal
• sinister
• venomous
• perilous
• infective
• threatening
• ominous
• unfriendly
• insidious
• inimical
• menacing
• fatal
• contagious
• unhealthy
• unhealthful
• pestilential
• malignant
• unwholesome
• ruinous
• unsound
• pestiferous
• killer
• pestilent
• nasty
• parlous
• imperilling
• jeopardizing
• imperiling
• noisome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• safe
• harmless
• benign
• innocuous
• beneficial
• useful
• innocent
• advantageous
• good
• inoffensive
• favorable
• healthy
• helpful
• propitious
• healthful
• wholesome
• anodyne
• remedial
• salubrious
• salutary
• curative
• hurtless
• sound
• secure
• palliative
• nontoxic
• nonpoisonous
• nondestructive
• benignant
• noninfectious
• noncorrosive
• nonfatal
• nonlethal
• nonpolluting
• nonvenomous

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For

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a dangerous situation

an unsafe situation

a hazardous situation

a risky situation

a scary situation

a serious situation

dangerous precedent

troublesome precedent

perilous precedent

awful precedent

unhealthy precedent

horrible precedent

dangerous levels

unhealthy levels

risky levels

toxic levels

deadly levels

hazardous levels

a dangerous enemy

a powerful enemy

a deadly enemy

a potent enemy

a wicked enemy

a threatening enemy

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dangerous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of dangerous are hazardous, perilous, precarious, and risky. While all these words 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

When could hazardous be used to replace dangerous?

The meanings of hazardous and dangerous largely overlap; however, hazardous implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure.

claims that smoking is hazardous to your health

When can perilous be used instead of dangerous?

The synonyms perilous and dangerous are sometimes interchangeable, but perilous strongly implies the immediacy of danger.

perilous mountain roads

When might precarious be a better fit than dangerous?

In some situations, the words precarious and dangerous are roughly equivalent. However, precarious suggests both insecurity and uncertainty.

earned a precarious living by gambling

When is it sensible to use risky instead of dangerous?

The words risky and dangerous can be used in similar contexts, but risky often applies to a known and accepted danger.

shied away from risky investments

Examples of dangerous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s why experts are worried RSV can be especially dangerous for older adults, as well as infants and young children. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024

But according to six crew members who worked in Toronto, as well as several contestants, conditions on the reality show’s productions were dangerous. —Steven Asarch, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024

Although Eggbert's disappearance and subsequent suicide had nothing to do with the game, the belief took hold among some that D&D's immersive fantasy worlds were dangerous to real-world youth. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2024

Furthermore, the decision sets a dangerous precedent. —Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024