Dictionary

chancy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɑːnsi/
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈtʃænsi/

Etymology

From chance + -y.

Meanings

1. Uncertain; risky; hazardous.
   • In winter steam contributes a fairly high proportion of its tractive effort, say 15 per cent, to heating the train. Diesels have at the moment separate oil-fired boilers which are somewhat chancy affairs, and only electric locomotives grab unlimited power for heating which does not affect their punctuality. 1960 April, G. F. Fiennes, “Unpunctuality - the cause and the cure”, in Trains Illustrated, page 244:
   • You might think it's foolish This chancy rendezvous (You might think) You might think I'm crazy (All I want) All I want is you 1984, Ric Ocasek, “You Might Think”, in Heartbeat City, performed by The Cars:
2. Subject to chance; random.
3. (colloquial, dated) Lucky; bringing good luck.
   • His haggard gaze swept this way and that, seeking possible succour where reason told him there could be no succour; and then as his vision pieced together this outjutting architectural feature and that into a coherent picture of his immediate surroundings he knew where he was. The one bit of chancy luck in a sequence of direful catastrophes had brought him here[Pg 49] to this very spot. Why, this must be West Ninth Street; it had to be, it was—oh joy, it was!. 1919, Irvin S. Cobb, The Life of the Party, page 49:

Forms

Deriveds

chancily · unchancy · chanciness · wanchancy

Synonyms

iffy (risky) · dicey (risky)

Translations (11)

bg несигурен (uncertain) · cs nahodilý (subject to chance) · fr aléatoire (subject to chance) · es aleatorio (subject to chance) · cs náhodný (subject to chance) · es incierto (uncertain) · cs riskantní (uncertain) · fr hasardeux (uncertain) · cs nejistý (uncertain) · es arriesgado (uncertain) · bg рискован (uncertain)