dangerous
dangerous
Pronunciation
dangerous /'deɪndʒərəs/
dai - /deɪn/
ger - /dʒər/
ous - /əs/
Word Form Variations
Adjective: dangerous (no singular/plural variations, as it's an adjective)
Adverb: dangerously
Noun: dangerousness (less common, but exists)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition 1: Posing a significant threat of harm, injury, or death; involving or causing peril.
Synonyms: hazardous, perilous, risky, unsafe, precarious, threatening, treacherous
Antonyms: safe, secure, harmless, benign, innocuous
Definition 2: Likely to cause serious problems or difficulties; involving an element of significant uncertainty or potential negative outcome.
Synonyms: critical, serious, grave, severe, dire, crucial, touch-and-go
Antonyms: minor, negligible, trivial, inconsequential
Adverb
Definition 1 (dangerously): In a manner that involves great risk or is likely to cause harm.
Synonyms: perilously, hazardously, riskily, unsafely
Antonyms: safely, securely, harmlessly
Definition 2 (dangerously): To a degree that suggests a serious or problematic situation.
Synonyms: critically, severely, gravely, acutely
Antonyms: negligibly, trivially, slightly
Noun
Definition 1 (dangerousness): The quality or state of being dangerous; the extent to which something poses a risk.
Synonyms: hazardousness, perilousness, riskiness, insecurity
Antonyms: safety, security, harmlessness, benignity
Examples of Use
Books: "The most dangerous game is not one played with guns and knives, but with human lives and emotions." (From a review of The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, published in various literary analyses since its initial publication in January 1924)
Newspapers: "Experts warn that the new strain of ransomware is dangerous, capable of crippling critical infrastructure." (As reported in The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications: "Is extreme heat becoming dangerous for outdoor workers?" (Headline from an article on AccuWeather.com)
Television Series: "This mission is incredibly dangerous, one false move and we could lose everything." (Line spoken by a character in the television series Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, streaming on Paramount+, July 2023)
Film: "He's a dangerous man, capable of anything." (Quote attributed to a character describing the antagonist in the film John Wick: Chapter 4, released March 2023)
Music: "You're a dangerous woman, but I'm in love with your fire." (Lyric from the song "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande, released March 2016)
Podcasts: "Our guest today will discuss the dangerous implications of unchecked AI development." (From a segment of The Daily podcast by The New York Times, June 2024)
General Public Discourse: "Driving while distracted is becoming increasingly dangerous on our roads." (Common statement made in public service announcements and discussions about road safety, ongoing)
Social Media: "Just saw a dangerous TikTok trend involving climbing on unstable structures. Please don't try this at home!" (A user's post on X, formerly Twitter)
10 Quotes Using Dangerous
"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.'" (Grace Hopper)
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." (Alexander Pope)
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. That is the truly dangerous error, and one hard to combat." (Lord Acton)
"It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid." (George Bernard Shaw)
"A man who has nothing to lose is a dangerous man." (Popular Proverb)
"The truth is dangerous because it is a double-edged sword." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity." (Often attributed to Albert Einstein, though the exact wording varies and the quote is more about perception of time than directly about relativity, but it is often used in the context of how perception can be deceiving and therefore dangerous to rely solely upon)
"Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one you have." (Émile Chartier, also known as Alain)
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." (Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but commonly associated with various historical figures; the implied threat if vigilance is lost makes the lack of it dangerous)
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." (Charles Darwin, implying that such ignorance is dangerous to scientific progress)
Etymology
The word "dangerous" comes from Old French, specifically from the word "dangier" (or "dongier"). Interestingly, its original meaning wasn't quite what we think of as "dangerous" today.
Back in the 12th century, "dangier" generally meant "power," "authority," or "control," particularly the power a lord or master had over others. It also carried the sense of being under someone's control or at their mercy. So, if you were "in dangier," it meant you were in someone's power, and that person had the ability to harm you or do what they pleased with you.
Over time, this idea of being under someone's power, and thus potentially being harmed, evolved. By the late 14th or early 15th century in English, "dangerous" started to take on its modern meaning of "involving risk or peril; liable to inflict injury or harm."
So, think of it this way: what was once about a lord's controlling power, and the potential harm that could come from being under that control, gradually broadened to mean anything that could cause harm or risk, whether from a person or a situation. The "-ous" ending simply means "full of" or "characterized by," so "dangerous" literally means "full of danger."
Phrases + Idioms Containing Dangerous
Dangerous bend ahead: A warning sign for drivers indicating a sharp curve in the road.
Dangerous liaisons: Refers to secretive, often illicit and risky romantic relationships.
A dangerous game: An activity or course of action that involves high risks or potential negative consequences.
Living dangerously: Engaging in risky or adventurous behavior.
Skating on thin ice: (Idiom using a synonym for similar effect) Engaging in a risky activity or pushing the limits, where a misstep could lead to serious trouble.
In dangerous waters: (Similar to "in hot water") To be in a difficult or risky situation.
A dangerous precedent: An action or decision that could serve as an example for future, potentially harmful, actions or decisions.
Playing with fire: (Idiom using a synonym for similar effect) Engaging in a very risky or potentially harmful activity.
No more dangerous than: A phrase used to compare the level of risk of one thing to another, suggesting they are equally safe or unsafe.
Treading a dangerous path: Following a course of action that is likely to lead to problems or harm.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of dangerous from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
