An affliction is something that causes pain and mental suffering, especially a medical condition.
If you describe something as ambiguous, you mean that it is unclear or confusing because it can be understood in multiple ways.
A bastion is considered an important and effective defense of a way of life or principle; a bastion can also refer to a heavily fortified place, such as a castle.
When you bolster something or someone, you offer support in a moment of need.
When you buttress an argument, idea, or even a building, you make it stronger by providing support.
Someone who is capricious changes their mind repeatedly or behaves in unexpected ways; a capricious series of events follows no predictable pattern.
When you compromise someone’s safety, you put it in danger in some way.
Contingent plans are possible and probably will occur, but not with absolute certainty.
Something that is desultory is done in a way that is unplanned, disorganized, and without direction.
When people equivocate, they avoid making a clear statement; they are deliberately vague in order to avoid giving a direct answer to a question.
An impregnable fortress or castle is very difficult to defeat or overcome; an opinion or argument of that same quality is almost impossible to successfully change or challenge.
Someone who is irresolute is unable to decide what to do.
A mercurial person’s mind or mood changes often, quickly, and unpredictably.
An organization or system that is a monolith is extremely large; additionally, it is unwilling or very slow to change or adopt something new.
A perilous situation is highly dangerous or extremely risky.
Someone who is pertinacious is determined to continue doing something rather than giving up—even when it gets very difficult.
A precipitous cliff or drop is very steep or falls sharply.
A salubrious place or area is pleasant, clean, healthy, and comfortable to live in.
A salutary experience is beneficial to you since it strengthens you in some way, although it may be unpleasant as you undergo it; this word also refers to promoting good health.
Stasis is a state of little change over a long period of time or a condition of inactivity caused by an equal balance of opposing forces.
If you are steadfast, you have a firm belief in your actions or opinions and refuse to give up or change them because you are certain that you are doing the right thing.
A tenacious person does not quit until they finish what they’ve started.
To be tentative is to be hesitant or uncertain about something; an agreement or decision of this kind is likely to have changes before it reaches its final form.
If you are unflagging while doing a task, you are untiring when working upon it and do not stop until it is finished.
A thing or person that is unremitting is persistent and enduring in what is being done.
When you are vigilant, you are keenly watchful, careful, or attentive to a task or situation.
Something that is volatile can change easily and vary widely.
A whimsical idea or person is slightly strange, unusual, and amusing rather than serious and practical.
Adj.
precarious
pri-KAIR-ee-uhs
Context
Weather at the beach can become precarious and risky very quickly, so it’s important to be aware of any changes in the sky that may predict a storm on the way. Also, if undercurrents get too strong, swimmers can be put into a precarious and dangerous situation where they get carried out too far from land. Rescuing a person caught in one of these currents can be precarious and tricky because most swimmers don’t know how to handle such an unstable situation.
Quiz:Try again!
What is an example of a precarious situation?
A student who didn’t study for a test and has to guess the answers.
A house that has started to slide slowly down a hillside after a heavy rain.
A boy who just learned that he has won a new bike in a raffle.
HilariousRecreation? The hilariousrecreation of throwing cream pies in people's faces suddenly turned precarious when the humorless headmaster unexpectedly walked into the room.
Examples
We must remember that all progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem leaves us standing face to face with another problem.
—
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
High-altitude sloths are in a particularly precarious position . . . their limited ability to migrate to cooler areas and the lack of metabolic flexibility could push these populations toward extinction.
—
Smithsonian Magazine
A Caledonia house on the verge of falling off a crumbling bluff into Lake Michigan . . . it was important to explain the precarious situation to would-be buyers.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Byrd, 90, has been in and out of the hospital . . . and his precarious health prompted some obvious speculation about how much longer he'll be setting that record for longevity.
—
Los Angeles Times
A precarious situation is one which needs “prayers” to help pull through it because of its danger.
Word Theater
YouTube: The Twenty-Five Most Precarious Places On Earth Three precarious places that are not meant for the faint of heart!
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
