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precarity

precarity

1 8.2
A situation when work or housing is unstable and at risk
  • noun
  • /prɪˈkɛrɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : precariedad
  • The precarity of their living conditions forced the family to seek help from local charities.

I think it would be better if we had a, you know, system that that was less had the precarity or right in our faces like that.

Examples

  • The wind here freely enters the Brown household, circulating ominously throughout this novel and its successor, Blow Your House Down (1984), whose very title unites reader and character, suggesting the precarity of the dwellings and, by extension, the economic situations of the women both novels take as their subjects.

    Academic text (2016)
  • One outcome of the emergence of the movement of the multitude is the articulation of a new set of politics around the terms "precarity," "precarization," and "precariat." According to Hal Foster, no concept better comprehends the art of the past decade than that which is termed "precarious."

    Academic text (2011)
  • Taking out insurance policies as individuals will not eradicate precarity in higher education.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Part of what this sublimity registers is the precarity of human life, itself now alien to the planet from which it sprang.

    Academic text (2016)
  • An important finding of this research is the pivotal role that the immediacy of the middlemen's cash payments plays against the backdrop of economic precarity within producer communities.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Even in the absence of union representation, employers should take the lead in managing liability, if for no other reason than to ensure that their instructors do not sacrifice critical teaching practices out of liability on a case-by-case basis. This is at best a Band-Aid to the current state of precarity.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Today, postindustrial shifts in national and global economies to a situation characterized by unemployment and precarity might prompt us to redirect our ideas not only about how art engages with social and political issues but also how it engages with work.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many workers face precarity due to short-term contracts and uncertain job security.

  • Increasing precarity in the housing market has made it difficult for young people to find stable homes.

Synonyms

precariousness
vsprecarity
1 8.1

Being unstable and at risk of loss or harm

focuses more on long-term social or work instability and risk
nonsecurity
vsprecarity
7.5

A lack of safety and protection in money or social situations

emphasizes unstable living or work conditions rather than simply lacking protection
insecureness
vsprecarity
6.8

Feeling unsure and worried about safety or the future

points to external instability and material risk rather than inner anxiety

Antonyms

1.0

A place or condition that protects you from danger

408 2.4

The feeling of being safe from danger or threat

363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

How Precarious

danger
1.0
risk
1.9
precarity
  • Specialized
1 8.2
instability
114 5.1
insecurity
31 3.6

Surface Forms

precarity singular
precarities plural

Morphology

precarity = precarious (opaque) = pre + car + ity

The word 'precarity' is derived from 'precarious', but the root 'car' does not correspond to a recognizable English word, making the transparency opaque.

Etymology

Precarity comes from the old Latin word precarius, which meant 'obtained by prayer' and is related to the everyday word pray, giving the image of depending on a wish or someone's help instead of solid ground. So, precarity means being insecure, unstable, or at risk.