perilously
11
7.1
- adverb
- /ˈpɛrɪləsli/
- The situation was perilously close to an explosion.
- perilously close
- perilously low
- perilously close to zero
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Watch on YouTubeThe unbalanced sea would overwhelm the islands where we perilously dwell, and in the old silence all voices and all names would be lost.
- The unbalanced sea would overwhelm the islands where we perilously dwell, and in the old silence all voices and all names would be lost.
Examples
-
Mr Stamphill, you are perilously close to contempt of this court!
-
On the screen, an airplane stalls and falls perilously low over the ocean.
Academic text (2001) -
The gas dial is perilously close to empty; these cars are meant to be refilled often.
Fiction book (2000) -
Some overall indicators for 1990 present a portrait of a society perilously close to apartheid-like conditions.
Academic text (1991) -
The door swung perilously open out into unsupported space, taking him with it.
Fiction book (2001) -
No wonder Lord Porter, Conservative chair of the LGA, warns that some councils will be pushed perilously close to the financial edge.
-
While hiking, she found herself perilously close to the edge of the cliff.
-
The firefighters worked perilously near the raging flames to save the trapped family.
-
Driving in the icy conditions put him perilously close to losing control of the car.
Synonyms
96
3.2
In a way that can cause harm or injury
10
7.0
In a way that is not steady and could fall
1
6.8
In a dangerous way that can cause harm
1
6.4
In a dangerous way that may cause harm or loss
Antonyms
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word perilously comes from peril, and further back from the Latin periculum which means 'danger'. So, perilously means 'in a dangerous way', which is why we use it for risky actions.