riskyrisk‧y /ˈrɪski/ ●●○ adjective 
Doctors say it’s too risky to try and operate. Buying a secondhand car is a risky business.► see thesaurus at dangerous—riskiness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Risky investments can offer high yields, but also the possibility of greater losses.
- Being self-employed is much more risky than being a wage earner.
- He'll have to land the aircraft in a field. It's risky, but there's no alternative.
- It's always risky leaving your car out on the street overnight.
- Personal insurance is expensive if you plan to take part in a risky sport such as parachuting.
- the risky business of putting a space vehicle into orbit
- The experiments would be too risky to perform on humans.
- The State Department advised its employees that fighting near the borders made it too risky to leave the country.
- Travel in the region is still considered risky.
- Any project involving rockets is always risky, but the technology is maturing all the time.
- Goldman typically has shied away from risky startups, preferring to stick with more stalwart institutions such as Chevron Corp.
- However, most of the women in our sample would most likely find that a very risky prospect to attempt at present.
- Projecting numbers like gross domestic product and per-capita income back into the past is a highly risky undertaking.
- There is substantially more information both general and related to risks at the risky junctions than at the less risky ones.
- Though doing so shortly after the Gulf war and in a recession might have seemed risky, Airtours had its reasons.
- Try the risky, potentially spectacular shot, or cut his losses and play safe?
THESAURUS
likely to cause death or serious harm, or cause something bad to happen: · Snow and ice are making driving conditions very dangerous.· dangerous drugs· a dangerous criminal
if something is risky, something bad could easily happen or you could easily make a mistake: · Doctors said it was too risky to operate.· a risky situation
especially written dangerous – used especially about substances, jobs, and journeys: · hazardous waste· hazardous chemicals· hazardous occupations· The expedition was extremely hazardous.
dangerous because someone is very likely to be hurt – used especially about places or conditions: · The roads are unsafe for cyclists.· unsafe working conditions
formal literary places or conditions that are treacherous are very dangerous for anyone who is walking, driving, climbing etc in them: · The snow turned to ice, making conditions treacherous for walkers.· the island’s treacherous coastline· With no lighting, the roads can be treacherous.
literary a perilous journey, situation etc is very dangerous: · a perilous journey across the sea
[only before noun] a high-risk job, situation, or behaviour is likely to be dangerous: · Drug users need to know that sharing needles is high-risk behaviour.
Longman Language Activatordangerous someone or something that is dangerous is likely to cause death or serious harm: · Snow and ice are making driving conditions very dangerous.· dangerous drugs such as heroin and crack· It's dangerous work but for men like Clement, summer firefighting is an important source of income.highly/extremely dangerous (=very dangerous): · Police described the three escaped prisoners as highly dangerous.it is dangerous (for somebody) to do something: · The pilot says it's too dangerous to try to land the plane in this weather.· It's too dangerous for the kids to play in the street.
if you do something risky , it is easy to make a mistake that might cause death or serious harm - use this about things that you decide to do although you know they may be dangerous: · He'll have to land the aircraft in a field. It's risky, but there's no alternative.· Personal insurance is expensive if you plan to take part in a risky sport such as parachuting.risky to do something: · The State Department advised its employees that fighting near the borders made it too risky to leave the country.risky business (=something you do that is risky): · the risky business of putting a space vehicle into orbit
something that is poisonous will make you ill or kill you if you swallow it or breathe it: · The boy died after eating poisonous berries.· Many of our rivers are full of poisonous chemicals.highly poisonous: · Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas.
especially written a hazardous activity or journey is one that is dangerous. Hazardous chemicals or substances are dangerous - used especially on warning signs: · All of us knew that the expedition was likely to be extremely hazardous.· Being the President's bodyguard is obviously a hazardous occupation.· In 1820, a voyage to Australia was a hazardous undertaking.· Employees who were exposed to hazardous substances are now claiming compensation.
a high-risk job, situation, place, or type of behaviour is likely to be dangerous: · A polio vaccine is recommended before travelling to high-risk areas.· We are getting the message across to drug users that sharing needles is a high-risk behaviour.
places or conditions that are treacherous are very dangerous for anyone who is walking, driving, climbing etc in them: · Strong winds and heavy rain are making driving conditions treacherous in some areas.· There are treacherous underwater currents along this stretch of coast.
written a perilous journey, situation etc is very dangerous - used especially in literature: · Refugees cross the rugged San Ysidro mountains, and it is always a perilous trip.· Blondin soon became famous as a rope-dancer. Nothing was too perilous for him to attempt.
involving risk involving a risk: · It's always risky leaving your car out on the street overnight.· Being self-employed is much more risky than being a wage earner.· Risky investments can offer high yields, but also the possibility of greater losses.risky to do something: · The experiments would be too risky to perform on humans.
risks that are not necessary and that could cause harm or serious problems: · Using humor in a job interview is a dangerous thing - you never know how the interviewer will react.· Women felt that complaining about sexual harrassment was dangerous, as there was always the threat of losing their jobs.it is dangerous to do something: · It is dangerous to assume that share prices will continue to rise.
an action that is foolhardy involves so much risk that someone seems stupid for trying it: · It was foolhardy to take the plane up alone, with so little flying experience.· The country was in such huge debt that any spending proposals looked foolhardy.· I drove to the hospital at a foolhardy speed, arriving just after my wife.
something that is high-risk involves a lot of risk, but if you choose to do it and it is successful, you will have very good results: · It was a high-risk strategy to attack with such a small number of planes, but it was brilliantly successful.· a high-risk investment
something risky that you do because you hope that it will succeed and that you will gain something from it: · A gamble by the quarterback on the final play allowed them to score.· Changing jobs is always a gamble, but the opportunity looks good.a gamble pays off (=it is successful): · Despite the serious doubts of his advisors, the President's gamble paid off.
informal involving a serious risk that things will go wrong: · It's too dicey to base this policy on what might happen in the coming year.· Taking the mountain road is always a bit dicey at this time of year.
involving a serious possibility of failure or loss: · No one would lend money to a company in such a precarious position.· The typical peasant farmer has a precarious existence, at the mercy of flood, disease and famine.· His political position has become extremely precarious.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Doctors say it’s too risky to try and operate. Buying a secondhand car is a risky business.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
involving a risk that something bad will happen SYN dangerous: Doctors say it’s too risky to try and operate. Buying a secondhand car is a risky business. (=in which you are likely to lose money)· Risky investments usually have higher yields.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· My final solution to the problem was a bit risky, but not as risky as the alternatives - or so I thought!· Of course, moving on to the internet is perceived as risky.
· To plan a whole town at once was a highly risky investment.· Projecting numbers like gross domestic product and per-capita income back into the past is a highly risky undertaking.
· What is more, financial intermediaries may have the expertise to be able to assess just how risky a loan is.· How much should investors know about how risky their bond funds are or will be?· This example illustrates wonderfully how important long-term studies are - and how risky science can be!
· The village, he says, will produce an organic method for developing less risky business models and strategies.· When stock prices are volatile, investors often flee the market in favor of less risky money-market mutual funds.· These are less risky than individual shares and are easier and cheaper to cash in.· But next year a little rain would help make this craziest of sports a just little less risky.· This is so because the lower-cost project may be perceived as being less risky than the higher-cost project.· But giving £10,000 credit for one month can be less risky than giving £5000 of credit for six months.· It always seems more practical and less risky to pretend to know more than you do and to insist on your omniscience.
· One possibility is that certain junctions are both intrinsically more memorable and more risky than others.· As a system gets larger the logic becomes more obscure, modification more risky and debugging increasingly problematic.· Sniffing alone or in dangerous places, such as railway embankments and by canals, can be more risky.· Shooting a film is more risky than publishing a paperback.· Open-bridging lending is more risky to lenders than closed bridging.· The other, much more risky, is to abolish this anti-reform parliament altogether, and call for new elections.· But he supposed yielding mouths belonged to fast women who might be more risky.· The reality is a good deal messier and more risky for those managing the change.
· For each junction type the value of B is lowest for the most risky exemplars.· Strangely enough, in the midst of change, the present course may often he the most risky one.· The most risky sports were rugby, martial arts, soccer, cricket, and hockey.· Finally, and most risky, there was the possibility of ransoms.
· They believe it's too risky.· These cases are too costly and too risky for most lawyers and most litigants.· The post was much too risky, so sometimes I was asked to carry funds to Parma on my bicycle.· It is untested, too risky and too vulnerable to disastrous financial consequences.· It is billed as the last resort for people who the banks believe are too risky to back.· Now, those calling the shots for the company began to realize that the whole damn case was getting too risky.· Thrifts were banned by law from investing in equities which were deemed to be too risky.· A design team rejected the aerospike concept as too risky.
· However, most of the women in our sample would most likely find that a very risky prospect to attempt at present.· Risky, thought Paul D, very risky.· Purchasing decisions are often very risky, and can involve an organization in carrying considerable costs.· Budget maximization is a very risky strategy to adopt if there are going to be budget cuts.· Making comparisons between brains is a very risky business because there are confounding variables to confuse the issue.· First, large projects can be very risky for an individual company.· The drawing suggests a first investment that is very risky for the speculator.· However, the angle at which it is applied makes it very risky from the point of view of defending yourself.
NOUN· The village, he says, will produce an organic method for developing less risky business models and strategies.· Making bread in northern California, especially in Sonoma County, is risky business.· The most obvious one would be the will, but murder by advantaged legatees is a risky business.· Still, buying shares on the way down is a risky business.· And sometimes that's a risky business.· After today's memorial service for Earnhardt here, drivers will focus on the risky business that defines their profession.· But, considering the amount of money you may lay out, buying Koi can also be a risky business.· Jewellers always did, it was a risky business.
· To plan a whole town at once was a highly risky investment.· Frequent cancellations, no matter what the excuse, make a diva seem a dangerously risky investment.· Risky investments do usually have higher yields, and do therefore pay more direct tax than less risky investments.· Publication of the Myners report may lead to concern that pension funds will begin to take on overly risky investments.
· Then an on-road study found that drivers did indeed recall more central details than would be expected from risky situations.· The first is an overall tendency for subjects to recall risky situations.· The second is a tendency for subjects to recall central details of risky situations at the expense of peripheral details.
Doctors say it’s too risky to try and operate. Buying a secondhand car is a risky business.► see thesaurus at dangerous—riskiness noun [uncountable]