precipitous
Alarmingly steep drop
Precipitous describes something extremely steep, like a cliff face: a precipitous drop into the canyon.
By extension, it characterizes sudden, dramatic changes: a precipitous decline in sales, precipitous rise in unemployment.
The word sometimes gets confused with precipitate, which means hasty or rash—precipitous can carry that sense too, though careful writers distinguish them.
Vertical rock wall
- escarpmentSteep slope dividing elevations
- dropoffAbrupt descent point
- sheerAbsolute; also diaphanous
- vertiginousInducing a spinning sensation
plunging · abrupt · crag · bluff · chasm · ravine · gorge · ledge
Heedless or skin irritation
- impetuousActing on sudden urge
- recklessCarelessly ignoring danger
- impulsiveActing without deliberation
- ill-consideredLacking careful thought
foolhardy · premature · overhasty · incautious · headlong · rushed · imprudent · brash
Sharp and unexpected
- rapidMoving with haste
- swiftMoving with speed
- sharpFine-edged, or astute
- dramaticStrikingly expressive or sudden
unexpected · immediate · meteoric · drastic · overnight · headlong · plummeting · nosedive
Fraught with danger
- dangerousApt to cause harm
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- precariousDangerously insecure
daring · dicey · fraught · vertiginous · harrowing · nerve-wracking · death-defying · frightening
cliff
Vertical rock wall
- escarpmentSteep slope dividing elevations
- dropoffAbrupt descent point
- sheerAbsolute; also diaphanous
vertiginous · plunging · abrupt · crag · bluff · chasm · ravine · gorge · ledge · overhang
rash
Heedless or skin irritation
- impetuousActing on sudden urge
- recklessCarelessly ignoring danger
- impulsiveActing without deliberation
ill-considered · foolhardy · premature · overhasty · incautious · headlong · rushed · imprudent · brash · unthinking
abrupt
Sharp and unexpected
dramatic · unexpected · immediate · meteoric · drastic · overnight · headlong · plummeting · nosedive · freefall
perilous
Fraught with danger
- dangerousApt to cause harm
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
precarious · daring · dicey · fraught · vertiginous · harrowing · nerve-wracking · death-defying · frightening · exposed
precipitousgradual
Developing slowly over time
slow · incremental · measured · steady · prolonged
precipitousflat
Lacking vertical variation
level · horizontal · gentle · gradual · flush
precipitousdeliberate
Consciously chosen, not accidental
cautious · careful · calculated · measured · considered