imperilling
Placing in jeopardy
Imperilling is putting something at risk of harm or destruction.
This British spelling (American: imperiling) is the present participle of imperil: The oil spill was imperilling marine life along the coast.
The word suggests serious threat rather than minor risk—you imperil lives, futures, or missions, not trivial things.
Putting at serious risk
- compromisingExposing to harm or scandal
- riskingExposing to potential harm
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
- exposingMaking something known
undermining · destabilizing · hazarding · menacing · vulnerable · harmful · damaging · destructive
Prone to sudden change
- teeteringUnstably balanced, nearly falling
- insecureLacking self-assurance
- uncertainNot firmly known
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
fragile · vulnerable · tenuous · wobbly · unsteady · shaky · touch-and-go · dicey
Conveying threat or danger
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- alarmingProvoking fear or anxiety
- dauntingDiscouraging through difficulty
hostile · sinister · dire · grim · looming · impending · portentous · imminent
Expressing disapproval or importance
- urgentNeeding immediate attention
- crucialOf supreme importance
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
- decisiveQuick to conclude
high-stakes · grave · consequential · momentous · serious · life-or-death · make-or-break · do-or-die
jeopardizing
Putting at serious risk
- compromisingExposing to harm or scandal
- riskingExposing to potential harm
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
exposing · undermining · destabilizing · hazarding · menacing · vulnerable · harmful · damaging · destructive · detrimental
unstable
Prone to sudden change
delicate · fragile · vulnerable · tenuous · wobbly · unsteady · shaky · touch-and-go · dicey · treacherous
menacing
Conveying threat or danger
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- alarmingProvoking fear or anxiety
daunting · hostile · sinister · dire · grim · looming · impending · portentous · imminent · gathering
critical
Expressing disapproval or importance
decisive · high-stakes · grave · consequential · momentous · serious · life-or-death · make-or-break · do-or-die · fateful
imperillingprotecting
Keeping from harm
safeguarding · shielding · securing · defending · guarding
imperillingpreserving
Protecting from deterioration
saving · rescuing · conserving · maintaining · sustaining
experience, experiment, peril, perilous, imperil, endangering, imperiled, imperilment, imperiling