as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
window washing can indeed be a parlous occupation on a skyscraper
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Recent Examples of parlous
Photograph: Lamborghini This move from Lamborghini underlines the parlous state of luxury EVs at present, a trend WIRED has charted.
—
Jeremy White, Wired News, 23 Feb. 2026
Declining revenues combined with soaring wage costs shifted the club’s finances into a parlous state.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The increasingly parlous state of Francophone West Africa’s second-largest economy led to a credit downgrade by S&P in July which has pushed up borrowing costs.
—semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Reflecting wider financial market nerves around the parlous state of French politics, the yield on France’s 30-year bond yield rose above 4.5% on Tuesday — hitting a level last seen in 2008 — before lightly easing to to 4.48% on Wednesday.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Jeremy White, Wired News, 23 Feb. 2026
Declining revenues combined with soaring wage costs shifted the club’s finances into a parlous state.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The increasingly parlous state of Francophone West Africa’s second-largest economy led to a credit downgrade by S&P in July which has pushed up borrowing costs.
—semafor.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Reflecting wider financial market nerves around the parlous state of French politics, the yield on France’s 30-year bond yield rose above 4.5% on Tuesday — hitting a level last seen in 2008 — before lightly easing to to 4.48% on Wednesday.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parlous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlous
Adjective
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The procedures noted that in some cases, outing students to parents could be dangerous to their health and well-being, and school officials should ask the students for consent to notify their parents of the support plan.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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The world is more dangerous for leaders, across multiple dimensions.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For their study, the researchers focused specifically on PVC microplastics, as these are among the most hazardous and are prevalent in drinking water, Gonçalves dos Reis said.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
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The two groups are combining university research with engineering expertise to introduce advanced robots that can safely navigate and manage tasks in hazardous nuclear environments.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This narrative series tells Samia’s extraordinary story of resilience, ambition, and the perilous intersection of sport, war, and migration.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
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More than 6,500 Rohingya attempted perilous sea crossings that year, with one in seven reported missing or dead, the UNHCR said in a statement from Geneva.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His incredulity about their increasingly risky adventures—this is the one that involves a Pontiac Fiero in outer space—becomes one of the film’s running gags.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Pakistan has become one of the most consequential players in the Iran war, taking on a risky mediation role that draws on its ties with Tehran while keeping its financial lifeline with the Gulf intact.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Half a century later, the nation’s environmental problems are a lot less visible, but not, for that reason, any less serious.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Even in healthy children, measles can cause serious illness and death.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
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Exhausted and bearing the brunt of Cuba’s precarious economic situation, the elderly wander from place to place, carrying the bags that Cubans customarily take everywhere in the hope of being lucky enough to buy something to eat.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parlous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlous. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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