hang in the balance
Fate not decided
To hang in the balance is to remain undecided or uncertain, with the outcome yet to be determined: The election hangs in the balance.
The image is of scales that haven't tipped either way.
What hangs in the balance is usually significant—a life, a career, a nation's fate: With the surgery scheduled for tomorrow, her life hangs in the balance.
State of awaiting something
- waitingRemaining in expectation
- limboState of uncertain waiting
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- unknownNot yet discovered
uncertainty · tension · nail-biting · breathless · edge-of-seat · standstill · pause · holding pattern
Dangerously insecure
- tenuousLacking solid foundation
- uncertainNot firmly known
- unstableProne to sudden change
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
fragile · volatile · shaky · dicey · touch-and-go · iffy · teetering · unsettled
Risk of harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- riskPossibility of harm
- dangerExposure to harm
- hazardSource of potential harm
gamble · vulnerability · exposure · consequences · outcome · fate · destiny · future
Official court decision
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- determinationFirmness of purpose
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
crossroads · turning point · tipping point · watershed · pivotal moment · crux · critical juncture · inflection point
Intense anticipatory fear
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- worryTroubled mental state
trepidation · angst · stress · fear · agitation · restlessness · disquiet · foreboding
anticipation
State of awaiting something
- waitingRemaining in expectation
- limboState of uncertain waiting
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
unknown · uncertainty · tension · nail-biting · breathless · edge-of-seat · standstill · pause · holding pattern · countdown
precarious
Dangerously insecure
delicate · fragile · volatile · shaky · dicey · touch-and-go · iffy · teetering · unsettled · up in the air
jeopardy
Risk of harm
hazard · gamble · vulnerability · exposure · consequences · outcome · fate · destiny · future · life-or-death
verdict
Official court decision
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- determinationFirmness of purpose
resolution · crossroads · turning point · tipping point · watershed · pivotal moment · crux · critical juncture · inflection point · reckoning
dread
Intense anticipatory fear
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- uneaseMild persistent worry
worry · trepidation · angst · stress · fear · agitation · restlessness · disquiet · foreboding · butterflies