Precarious vs Safe - What's the difference?
precarious | safe |
(comparable) Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.}}
(legal) Depending on the intention of another.
(dentistry) Relating to incipient caries.
Not in danger; free from harm's reach.
Free from risk; harmless, riskless.
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=19 Providing protection from danger; providing shelter.
(baseball) When a batter successfully reaches first base, or when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base or returns to the base he last occupied; not out.
Properly secured; secure.
(used after a noun, often, forming a compound) Not in danger from the specified source of harm.
(UK, slang) Great, cool, awesome, respectable;
* {{quote-newsgroup, year=1996, date=August 12, author="Mandrake", title=Re: Multiple Messages - an apology
, newsgroup=uk.people.gothic * {{quote-book, year=1996 or 1997, year_published=2002, publisher=Methuen
, author=Roy Williams, title=Plays 1: The No Boys Cricket Club / Startstruck / Lift Off
* {{quote-book, year=2000, year_published=2005, publisher=Justin, Charles & Co.
, author=Teddy Hayes, title=Dead by Popular Demand, section=Chapter 14
v=onepage&q&f=false
, isbn=9781932112238, page=134
, passage=“If you need more, just ring, yeah?” Punch said.¶ “Safe ,” Brian answered.}}
* {{quote-book, year=2002, publisher=Trentham Books, author=Danny Braverman
, title=Playing a Part: Drama and Citizenship, section=One Thursday — a short play
* (rfdate) Steve Carter, Love, Sex and Tesco's Finest Cava , page 169:
Reliable.
Cautious.
A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.
(slang) A condom.
* 1999 , (Rita Ciresi), Pink Slip , Delta (1999), ISBN 0385323638,
(dated) A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects.
As an adjective precarious
is (comparable) dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous or precarious can be (dentistry) relating to incipient caries.As a noun safe is
safe.precarious
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) , and Spanish and Italian precario.Adjective
(en adjective)Synonyms
* (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over) unsteady, rickety, shaky, tottering, unsafe, unstable, wobblyUsage notes
* Because the (term) element of (term) derives from prex and not the preposition prae, this term cannot — etymologically speaking — be written as *.Quotations
* 1906 , (Jack London), , part I, ch III, *: Never had he been so fond of this body of his as now when his tenure of it was so precarious .Derived terms
* precariously * precariousness * precariat * precarisation, precarization * precarityExternal links
* *Etymology 2
pre-'' + ''cariousAdjective
(-)safe
English
(wikipedia safe)Adjective
(er)citation, passage=When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.}}
citation, passage=and you also forgot to mentioned(SIC) the wheels man you know bmw playing¶ ragga jungle hip hop tunes¶ and on the mobile¶ yeah safe !¶ nice one¶ later}}
citation, isbn=9780413772091, page=165 , passage=Young Mal: Yu can’t. Irie means yer cool, yer safe , everything awright.}}
citation, pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=mjbGFX-X_-8C&pg=PT145&dq=yeah+safe+laters&hl=en&ei=0r5ZTPPdE4ymOKyAufII&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAw
citation, pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=pJIGiwslfZoC&pg=PA62&dq=safe , isbn=9781858562424, page=62 , passage=They end the call.'' Fami ''goes over to'' Paul. ''They touch hands .¶ Femi: Yeah, safe man.}}
- “Yeah, safe mate, wassup?” says one hoodie, who should at least be credited with attempting a more detailed sentence construction.
Synonyms
* harmless, riskless * secure * (cool) wicked, cool, awesome * (reliable) trustworthyAntonyms
* unsafe * dangerous * harmful * insecureHyponyms
* (not in danger from the specified source of harm) * *Noun
(en noun)page 328:
- She'd better have an arsenal of Trojans in her purse just in case he wasn't carrying a safe in his back pocket.