as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
window washing can indeed be a parlous occupation on a skyscraper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parlous
The vibe in front of the White House was its own uniquely 2024 mix—part dance party, part lecture on the parlous state of democracy.
—
Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie examines the experiences of four Mexican journalists to illustrate the parlous state of the press in Mexico, where at least 165 journalists have been killed or gone missing since 1992.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
The second reason why Starmer cannot ignore the parlous state of the union is the strong connection between power and prosperity.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 5 July 2024
Given the parlous state of Pyongyang’s relations with Washington and Seoul since the failure of the Hanoi summit in 2019, there are few guardrails in place to prevent complex situations from spiraling out of control.
—Sue Mi Terry, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie examines the experiences of four Mexican journalists to illustrate the parlous state of the press in Mexico, where at least 165 journalists have been killed or gone missing since 1992.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
The second reason why Starmer cannot ignore the parlous state of the union is the strong connection between power and prosperity.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 5 July 2024
Given the parlous state of Pyongyang’s relations with Washington and Seoul since the failure of the Hanoi summit in 2019, there are few guardrails in place to prevent complex situations from spiraling out of control.
—Sue Mi Terry, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlous
Adjective
-
Part of this season’s focus has been on building his partnership with Murphy, whose primary attacking role is to find Isak in dangerous areas, and encouraging his team-mates to involve the striker whenever possible.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Paved highways meant dangerous going for horse and rider, and her only mishap of the trip would come at Portland, when Goldie slipped on rain-slick pavement and fell on his rider and broke her leg, resulting in a delay of several weeks.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Before the hatch is opened, crews will do a final inspection of the spacecraft to make sure no hazardous materials are present.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
19 Mar. 2025
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However, no hazardous weather is expected this weekend through midweek.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
From Sailing Ships To The Ocean Liner Before the advent of the ocean liner, transoceanic travel was a perilous endeavor on sailing ships that were at the mercy of the elements.—
David Nikel,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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The gathering underscored the perilous, uncertain time federal workers across the Kansas City metro – and the country – find themselves in, as Trump moves to gut federal agencies.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Traditionally, however, penny stocks are pretty risky.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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Forgoing a balanced diet or drastically cutting calories is risky.—
Helen Carefoot,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bel Air estate Kardashian began dating a new man in 2012, and things between her and Ye got real serious real fast.—
Joyce Chen,
Architectural Digest,
13 Mar. 2025
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At the time of writing, the pope lies in hospital in serious condition.—
Federico Perelmuter,
The Dial,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As a woman traveling alone, who is also four months pregnant, Alex quickly finds herself in one of the most precarious positions an immigrant seeking to be accepted into the U.S. could find themselves in during this time period in America’s history.—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Mar. 2025
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At the same time, the resumption of hostilities in Syria could change everything, and the Russian military could suddenly find itself in a precarious and vulnerable position.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlous. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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