as in chance
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Recent Examples of chancy
Actions that seemed foolhardy when Rue was younger now come off as merely chancy, with Zendaya imparting enough hard-knock experience to pull off bigger swings.
—
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chancy
Adjective
-
Defensive letdowns behind him and fortuitous placement of hits contributed to his allowing nine runs (eight earned) in his first six appearances (6⅔ innings).—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Paolo finished with 25 points, including a fortuitous 3-pointer that bounded off the back of the rim and fell through to give the Magic an insurmountable lead with 38 seconds left.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rosenior abandoned his haphazard experiment at half-time, bringing on forward Alejandro Garnacho for centre-back Wesley Fofana and reverting to a back four.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Through orchestra, chamber music, and even haphazard improv with friends, music has acted as a bridge to understanding others and continuing to explore and learn with them.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Those aren’t just random stories.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Law enforcement will also have random checkpoints throughout the county to catch impaired drivers, according to the department's website.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An infant’s accidental exposure to an infected child can mean serious illness, brain swelling and sometimes death.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
An infant’s accidental exposure to an infected child can mean serious illness, brain swelling and sometimes death.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist left during the second period after taking an inadvertent skate to the face by Michael McCarron as Lundkvist was being called for tripping McCarron.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Garden stakes will help keep fabric from directly touching your plants and help create a warm air pocket around them to survive those incidental cold nights.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Host cities like Houston will be lucky to break even.—
Peter Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
1 May 2026
-
Because even the coachless get lucky sometimes.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
That unplanned data point opened a new line of attack against a problem that has frustrated wildlife managers for decades.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Now, photos are supposed to look unplanned and happenstance, even when the content is carefully staged.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chancy. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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