playing it safe
Choosing careful paths
Playing it safe is choosing the cautious option to avoid risk or negative consequences.
The phrase often carries a slight edge of criticism—implying someone is being overly conservative or missing opportunities: You could ask for a raise, but you're playing it safe.
Sometimes prudent, sometimes timid, depending on context.
- precautionPreventive safety measure
- carefulExercising caution and attention
- erring on the side of cautionPreferring safety over risk
- risk-aversePreferring safety over uncertainty
- risk managementIdentifying and minimizing threats
hedging bets · slow · conservative · prudence · guarded · circumspect · steady · vanilla · fence-sitting · comfort zone · wary · conventionality · pause · judicious · contingency · measured · restraint · defensive
- Playing it safecaution, prudence, baby steps, waiting, hesitation
- complacency phrasesgood enough, why bother, it is what it is, not my problem, whatever
- cautioncareful, be careful, cautious, caution, watch out
- life decisionscareer change, marriage, divorce, relocation, college choice
- defensedefense, defending, protecting, protection, security
- carefulnessattention, attentiveness, care, carefulness, caution
playing it safetaking risks
Accepting possible loss
gambling · rolling the dice · taking chances · risk-taking · taking a risk
playing it safegoing for it
Pursuing something boldly
taking the plunge · swinging for the fences · going all in · going out on a limb · pushing the envelope
playing it safethinking outside the box
Unconventional creative reasoning
blazing a trail · disrupting · innovating · experimenting · coloring outside the lines
play, safe, player, safety, unsafe, playing, played, safely, plays