Dictionary

precipitously en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /pɹɪˈsɪ.pɪ.təs.li/ (US)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English precipitous Middle English -ly English -ly English precipitously From precipitous + -ly.

Meanings

1. (of changes within physical environments) In a precipitous manner. ▸ Abruptly, perilously, sharply, steeply, severely
   • In the west of Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher drop precipitously into the North Atlantic.
   • Never will I visit it again; it is a place of evil omen.' After a very brief halt for breakfast we pressed on with such good will that by two o'clock in the afternoon we were at the foot of the vast wall of rock that formed the lip of the volcano, and which at this point towered up precipitously above us for fifteen hundred or two thousand feet. 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
   • On all sides, wild mountains rise precipitously above wooded nullahs, and we have a clear view, to the right, of the famous Amah Rock, with its singular resemblance to a Chinese woman carrying her baby on her back in the traditional fashion. 1954 October, 'Boscawen', “The Kowloon-Canton Railway of Today”, in Railway Magazine, page 712:
2. (of events in general) In a precipitous manner. ▸ Abruptly; with no notice or ceremony: in a sudden or hasty manner, instantly, quickly.
   • Population dropped to the lowest point in five millennia. State resources declined precipitously. In many strategic and formerly prosperous areas, there were tax revenue losses of 90 percent or more in less than a single lifetime. 1988, Joseph Tainter, The Collapse of Complex Societies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 7:
   • Shortly after the conversation turned to the results of the recent election, John silently stood from the table, and without explanation, precipitously walked out on the dinner party.
3. (of actions involving intentionality) In a precipitous manner. ▸ done with a lack of proper decorum, or without adequate thought, care or concern for consequenses.
   • Look here son, in stealing that candy bar from Belsito's market, you have acted precipitously in the extreme; now you will have the unenviable responsibility of telling Mr. Belsito what you have done, and of expressing your heartfelt regret.
   • What Jane Austen...attempted to do was to narrate her novel always through the eyes of one of her characters, rather than in her own voice. A short quote from Austen’s Emma will illustrate her skill and give an example of her typical tone. Emma’s disastrous plan to link the low-born Harriet to the aspiring clergyman on the rise is being incubated precipitously and with no sense of its limitations in Emma’s mind... 29/04/2026, Pete Hulme, Mapping Consciousness (4/6): Was replicating consciousness Woolf’s conscious intention? paragraph 11
   • In signing that contract without reading all of the provisions, I have performed what was a legal requirement most precipitously, leading me to wish that I had taken more care.

Forms

Synonyms

impulsively · rashly · carelessly · rash

Translations (19)

fi yllättäen (abruptly) · id drastis (abruptly) · fi äkkiarvaamatta (abruptly) · pt precipitadamente (abruptly) · ja 突然 (abruptly) · fr abruptement (abruptly) · pt abruptamente (abruptly) · es precipitadamente (abruptly) · it precipitevolissimevolmente (abruptly) · ja 急 (abruptly) · ia precipitatemente (abruptly) · id tiba-tiba (abruptly) · hu hirtelen (abruptly) · it precipitosamente (abruptly) · ru стреми́тельно (abruptly) · it bruscamente (abruptly) · ia abruptemente (abruptly) · de unerwartet (abruptly) · nl overhaast (abruptly)