precipitously
13
7.6
- adverb
- /prɪˈsɪpɪtəsli/
:
bruscamente
- The hikers found themselves on a cliff that dropped off precipitously into the valley below.
- declined precipitously
- dropped precipitously
- fell precipitously
You know, trust in government has declined precipitously over the years.
- You know, trust in government has declined precipitously over the years.
- They all last months pretty well and only a few more months, three to seven months, but then it drops off precipitously.
- And in in those years, the crime rate has dropped precipitously the entire time.
- And the numbers post COVID is that the reproduction rate has dropped precipitously, plus post COVID.
- But when you go through menopause that drops precipitously.
Examples
-
Several members of the American dance troupe returned precipitously to the United States.
Fiction book (1996) -
You know, trust in government has declined precipitously over the years.
-
And the numbers post COVID is that the reproduction rate has dropped precipitously, plus post COVID.
-
The number of arrests for driving under the influence has declined precipitously in the 1990s.
Academic text (1998) -
When the funding was terminated, circulation fell precipitously to 32.7 in 2006.
Academic text (2007) -
Under Sadat and Mubarak, Egypt declined precipitously in the fields of agriculture, industry, and education.
Academic text (1992) -
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of cliff bee colonies in Nepal has precipitously declined within recent memory.
Academic text (1990) -
The quickest way to undermine U.S.-India relations is for the United States to withdraw precipitously from Afghanistan.
Academic text (2011) -
Coffee exports commenced haltingly in the 1860s, peaked the next decade, and tumbled precipitously afterward.
Academic text (2004) -
The professor warned that the temperature could change precipitously once the sun sets.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Quickly and without warning
145
3.3
In a sudden way that gives no warning
117
2.3
Suddenly and quickly, showing a large change in direction or amount
9
3.0
In a way that goes up or down on a very sharp slope
1
8.3
Very quickly without careful thought
In a very steep, almost vertical way
Very steeply or in a way that makes you feel dizzy
In a sudden, rough way that shocks or surprises
Antonyms
How Suddenly
Surface Forms
Morphology
precipitously = precipitous (transparent) = precipitous + ly
The adverb is a straightforward, productive -ly formation from the adjective 'precipitous', so learners who know the adjective will infer the adverbial meaning.
Etymology
The word precipitously comes from the Latin word praeceps, which meant 'head-first' or 'steep', like falling off a cliff. You can see the same root in precipice, meaning 'a steep cliff', and in precipitate, meaning 'to make something happen suddenly', so precipitously keeps the idea of doing something 'very steeply' or 'very suddenly'.