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 Gambling is risky and should not be used to resolve financial difficulties. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Another big long-term problem, Bernick and other analysts said, is that California has become an increasingly hard place to do business, with employment rules that make hiring difficult and risky. Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Looking for new talents, exciting and risky stories for new audiences, Begin Again’s titles have been selected and often awarded at festivals such as Rotterdam, the Berlinale, San Sebastián, Mar del Plata, Jeonju, HotDocs and New York. Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 You’ll be rewarded with one of the riskiest and most interesting romantic comedies in recent memory. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The Wall Street Journal is not going to casually elevate carelessly risky investment advice. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 Businesses now see psychological safety as a beacon for high engagement and empowerment, unlocking hidden potential while making an environment less risky. Ricky Muddimer, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 A number of companies have struck deals with AI tool makers to provide training data — which has historically been scraped from publicly available online data, a process that’s become legally riskier in recent years. Adi Robertson, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 Beijing will likely scrutinize Ant’s bid closely, putting Credit Suisse’s new owner UBS in a bind: Go with Ant—the more lucrative but more politically risky option—or choose the safer but cheaper offer from Citadel. Alan Murray, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'risky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of risky was in 1813

Dictionary Entries Near risky

Cite this Entry

“Risky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/risky. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

risky

adjective
riskier; riskiest
: having or bringing risk : dangerous

More from Merriam-Webster on risky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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