Crossword clues for precariousness
precariousness
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Precarious \Pre*ca"ri*ous\, a. [L. precarius obtained by begging or prayer, depending on request or on the will of another, fr. precari to pray, beg. See Pray.]
Depending on the will or pleasure of another; held by courtesy; liable to be changed or lost at the pleasure of another; as, precarious privileges.
--Addison.-
Held by a doubtful tenure; depending on unknown causes or events; exposed to constant risk; not to be depended on for certainty or stability; uncertain; as, a precarious state of health; precarious fortunes. ``Intervals of partial and precarious liberty.''
--Macaulay.Syn: Uncertain; unsettled; unsteady; doubtful; dubious; equivocal.
Usage: Precarious, Uncertain. Precarious in stronger than uncertain. Derived originally from the Latin precari, it first signified ``granted to entreaty,'' and, hence, ``wholly dependent on the will of another.'' Thus it came to express the highest species of uncertainty, and is applied to such things as depend wholly on future casualties. [1913 Webster] -- Pre*ca"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Pre*ca"ri*ous*ness, n.
Wiktionary
n. A state of being uncertain or unstable.
WordNet
n. extreme dangerousness
Usage examples of "precariousness".
The slender spires, the thousands of brightly lit windows and doorways, the leering totems, and the press and jostle of street life - all lent a feeling of precariousness, as if at any moment she might be swept unconsenting into nightmare.
Had I known the precariousness of my ascent, with a corpse as entrammeling cargo, I would have thrown myself upon the nearest rock face and clung to it like an apperceptive lichen.