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.

It's risky to buy a car without some good advice. We shouldn't go there. It's too risky. Teenagers often engage in risky behaviour.

If an activity or action is risky, it is dangerous or likely to fail. Investing in airlines is a very risky business. It's risky to assume that we know what voters will be thinking in a year's time.

(a person, thing etc which causes or could cause) danger or possible loss or injury.

Definition of risky adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

risky, adj. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025 risk•y (ris′ kē), adj., risk•i•er, risk•i•est. attended with or involving risk; hazardous: a risky undertaking.

Physically hazardous things are risky, like a risky sky diving trick or a risky airplane landing attempt in high winds. It can also be risky to do something that makes you feel vulnerable, like telling someone …

RISKY definition: attended with or involving risk; hazardous. See examples of risky used in a sentence.

Firefighters are exposed to risks of fire and building collapse during their work. Risk is the possibility of something bad happening, [1] comprising a level of uncertainty about the effects and implications of …