PERILOUS


Meaning of PERILOUS in English

per ‧ il ‧ ous /ˈperələs, ˈperɪləs/ BrE AmE adjective literary or formal

very dangerous:

a perilous journey across the mountains

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ dangerous 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

▪ risky 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

▪ hazardous /ˈhæzədəs $ -zər-/ especially written dangerous – used especially about substances, jobs, and journeys:

hazardous waste

|

hazardous chemicals

|

hazardous occupations

|

The expedition was extremely hazardous.

▪ unsafe dangerous because someone is very likely to be hurt – used especially about places or conditions:

The roads are unsafe for cyclists.

|

unsafe working conditions

▪ treacherous /ˈtretʃərəs/ 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.

▪ perilous /ˈperələs, ˈperɪləs/ literary a perilous journey, situation etc is very dangerous:

a perilous journey across the sea

▪ high-risk [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 Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.