as in chance
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Recent Examples of chancy
Most storms occur in the summer months when the subtropical climate is at its most humid, making August’s Perseid meteor shower a chancier time to visit.
—
Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
George Washington's chancy nighttime retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a kind of Colonial-era Dunkirk.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
Lifelong recommendations based on studies of roughly 50 patients and for no longer than three months seem a bit chancy.
—WSJ, 13 Sep. 2018
The early concerts have had a biting, chancy energy.
—New York Times, 21 June 2018
In a curious twist, Gunderson takes the story in an extremely chancy direction during the show’s final minutes.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 14 Apr. 2018
In the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, Jeff Lucas watched a driver plow through the brown and turbulent waters in what had momentarily seemed to be a chancy undertaking.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017
The point is that reporting on alleged facts that won’t take place for a decade or more in the future is chancy at best.
—Ed Wallace, star-telegram, 14 July 2017
Steve Jobs was making what was at the time an extraordinarily chancy wager.
—Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, 23 June 2017
George Washington's chancy nighttime retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a kind of Colonial-era Dunkirk.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chancy
Adjective
-
Was this just a fortuitous set of trades?—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
As the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs begin the process of winding down, Manfred’s push to collectivize the local rights for each MLB franchise is kicking in at a sadly fortuitous moment.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
All of this is a bit haphazard, and none of it is very deep or revealing.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Lawmakers have accused the Justice Department of withholding too many files and criticized the agency for haphazard redactions that exposed intimate details about victims.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
May 21 – June 20 A random chat could inspire you to make smarter moves.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
-
They are proven hitters, and baseball can be random, especially in this early part of the season when ballparks are still frozen and very few players are in midseason form.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest data leak is potentially more damaging to Anthropic than the earlier accidental exposure of the company’s draft blog post about its forthcoming model.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Each accidental catch potentially removes an animal that was alive before the Industrial Revolution.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Justice Department has continued to face pressure and criticism over omissions, improper redactions and the inadvertent release of victims' names.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Many states that accept late-arriving absentee ballots implemented their policies during the COVID-19 pandemic when vote by mail surged in popularity and Postal Service delays raised concerns about inadvertent disenfranchisement.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In reality, instruction in table manners was incidental to the main lesson, which was how to exchange ideas, frame a polite argument and, if necessary, pretend to be interested in what others had done that day.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your 3rd House of Information and your 11th House of Community are both boosted by the Moon’s trine to lucky Jupiter.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
John, lucky in everything, had received the enhancing admixture of dark, French Mediterranean, Bouvier blood.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s no guarantee this unplanned expansion will continue into 2027, McAlear told us.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The first upload sits at the opposite end of that spectrum — unplanned, unstaged and unoptimized.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chancy. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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