riskier; riskiest
: attended with risk or danger : hazardous
riskiness noun
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The daredevil had done many things riskier, of course, including a BASE jump off of the Christ The Redeemer Statue in Brazil. Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 The key to any retirement investment strategy is to diversify and not place too much in any one asset class, and to rebalance to less risky assets as one nears and enters retirement. Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025 The chairman of the Texas Democratic Party had blunt words for his counterparts in Washington and elsewhere who might be urging Democrats in the Legislature to take politically risky action. John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 18 July 2025 Brad Suster, who owns 86 Chicago-area units funded by HUD, said accepting subsidies could become risky. Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for risky

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of risky was in 1813

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Risky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/risky. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

risky

adjective
riskier; riskiest
: having or bringing risk : dangerous

More from Merriam-Webster on risky

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