dangerously

dangerously — adverb

1. describes an action or situation where there is a real chance that someone will

1.adverbB1
Definition

describes an action or situation where there is a real chance that someone will get hurt or something will be badly damaged

Example

Aiko drove dangerously fast on the mountain road, nearly missing a sharp curve.

adverb + adjective pattern: dangerously fast / dangerously high

The old wooden bridge swayed dangerously during the storm, so the village closed it.

verb + adverb: swayed dangerously / lived dangerously

Common collocations
  • dangerously + adjective: dangerously high, dangerously low, dangerously close, dangerously ill, dangerously thin
  • verb + dangerously: behave dangerously, drive dangerously, live dangerously
Synonyms
  • perilously

    more formal and literary; suggests immediate, life-threatening danger

  • precariously

    emphasizes instability or an unsafe position that could give way

  • riskily

    focuses on the deliberate choice to take a chance

Antonyms
  • safely

    without danger or risk

  • securely

    firmly fixed or protected from harm

Common Mistakes

He drove dangerous on the highway.
He drove dangerously on the highway.
'dangerously' is an adverb that modifies how someone drives; 'dangerous' is an adjective that describes a noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe situations involving potential harm, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Dangerously' is the most common and general word — it covers physical injury, damage to objects, and metaphorical risk (e.g. dangerously close to bankruptcy). 'Perilously' carries a stronger, more dramatic tone and is common in formal writing or storytelling (e.g. the climber hung perilously from the cliff). 'Precariously' focuses on unstable positions that could collapse or fall (e.g. the stack of boxes sat precariously on the top shelf). 'Riskily' highlights deliberate decision-making rather than accidental hazard (e.g. they invested riskily in a start-up). When the situation is an immediate physical threat, 'dangerously' is the natural first choice in everyday English.

dangerouslyperilouslyprecariouslyriskily

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dangerously ill patient
  • dangerously high level
  • dangerously low supply

Adverbs

  • truly dangerously
  • potentially dangerously

Phrases

  • dangerously close to
  • dangerously out of control
  • dangerously off course

Prepositions

  • dangerously for
  • dangerously to

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old French 'dangier' (power, danger), from Latin 'dominus' (master, lord). The sense shifted from 'power/jurisdiction' to 'risk' during the medieval period. The suffix '-ous' (full of) was added to form 'dangerous', and '-ly' turns the adjective into this adverb.