Standard Lemma guide

risky

adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɹɪski/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪski
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH1 S K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Dangerous; involving risks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: hazardous, dangerous, perilous, unsafe, daredevil
  • Investing in this start-up company could be risky.
  • Jumping on the train from the bridge to catch the terrorist was a highly risky operation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: risksome, chancy, venturesome, touch-and-go, hazardous, dangerous, perilous, unsafe, daredevil

Antonyms: riskless, risk-free, riskproof, unrisky, nonrisky, safe, secure

2

adj

Meaning 2

Risqué.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Misspelling of risqué.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, misspelling

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

involving risk or danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • skydiving is a hazardous sport
  • extremely risky going out in the tide and fog
  • a wild financial scheme

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hazardous, wild

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not financially safe or secure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bad investment
  • high risk investments
  • anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky
  • speculative business enterprises

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bad, high-risk, speculative

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English risk Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English risky From risk + -y.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَطِر (ḵaṭir) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Bulgarian: рискован (riskovan) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Catalan: riscós — dangerous, involving risks
  • Catalan: arriscat — dangerous, involving risks
  • Czech: nebezpečný — dangerous, involving risks
  • Czech: riskantní — dangerous, involving risks
  • Danish: risikabel — dangerous, involving risks
  • Dutch: gewaagd — dangerous, involving risks
  • Dutch: riskant — dangerous, involving risks
  • Dutch: risicovol — dangerous, involving risks
  • Finnish: vaarallinen — dangerous, involving risks
  • Finnish: riskaabeli — dangerous, involving risks
  • French: risqué — dangerous, involving risks
  • Georgian: სარისკო (sarisḳo) — dangerous, involving risks
  • German: riskant — dangerous, involving risks
  • German: gefährlich — dangerous, involving risks
  • German: gewagt — dangerous, involving risks
  • German: pikant — dangerous, involving risks
  • Greek: παρακινδυνευμένος (parakindynevménos) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Higaonon: makuyaw — dangerous, involving risks
  • Hindi: ख़तरनाक (xatarnāk) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Hungarian: kockázatos — dangerous, involving risks
  • Icelandic: áhættusamur — dangerous, involving risks
  • Indonesian: berisiko — dangerous, involving risks
  • Italian: rischioso — dangerous, involving risks
  • Italian: arrischiato — dangerous, involving risks
  • Italian: pericoloso — dangerous, involving risks
  • Italian: azzardato — dangerous, involving risks
  • Japanese: 危険な (kiken na) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Korean: 위험한 (wiheomhan) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Macedonian: ри́зичен (rízičen) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Macedonian: о́пасен (ópasen) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Māori: whakawhara — dangerous, involving risks
  • Norwegian Bokmål: farefull — dangerous, involving risks
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: farefull — dangerous, involving risks
  • Plautdietsch: roakboa — dangerous, involving risks
  • Polish: ryzykowny — dangerous, involving risks
  • Polish: niebezpieczny — dangerous, involving risks
  • Portuguese: arriscado — dangerous, involving risks
  • Romanian: riscant — dangerous, involving risks
  • Russian: риско́ванный (riskóvannyj) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Serbo-Croatian: ри̏зичан — dangerous, involving risks
  • Serbo-Croatian: rȉzičan — dangerous, involving risks
  • Spanish: riesgoso — dangerous, involving risks
  • Spanish: arriesgado — dangerous, involving risks
  • Spanish: riscoso — dangerous, involving risks
  • Swedish: riskabel — dangerous, involving risks
  • Swedish: riskfylld — dangerous, involving risks
  • Thai: เสี่ยง (sìiang) — dangerous, involving risks
  • Turkish: riskli — dangerous, involving risks
  • Volapük: riskodik — dangerous, involving risks