as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
the sight of swimmers exiting the water precipitously when some joker shouted "Shark!"
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Recent Examples of precipitously
What began as an emergency measure cannot become a convenient default whenever there is snow on the ground or temperatures drop precipitously.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
New iterations and versions of AI systems have caused usage fees to fall precipitously, which the AVA team sees as a key advantage of AI tools given limited court budgets.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
After decades of successful cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime, relations between Colombia and the United States are at a historic nadir and precipitously getting worse.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
That total is slightly up from last year, but down precipitously from nearly 20 years ago.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
For a century or so, Hollywood has balanced those two elements precipitously.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
That efficiency drops, precipitously.
—Sam McDowell December 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025
Tourism from China has fallen even more precipitously, going from 119,000 visitors in 2019 to just 54,370 this year.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
In fact, StubHub just recently went public, and its stock has declined precipitously because of these actions.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
New iterations and versions of AI systems have caused usage fees to fall precipitously, which the AVA team sees as a key advantage of AI tools given limited court budgets.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
After decades of successful cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime, relations between Colombia and the United States are at a historic nadir and precipitously getting worse.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
That total is slightly up from last year, but down precipitously from nearly 20 years ago.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
For a century or so, Hollywood has balanced those two elements precipitously.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
That efficiency drops, precipitously.
—Sam McDowell December 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025
Tourism from China has fallen even more precipitously, going from 119,000 visitors in 2019 to just 54,370 this year.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
In fact, StubHub just recently went public, and its stock has declined precipitously because of these actions.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitously
Adverb
-
Veteran guards Tyus Jones, Lonzo Ball and Chris Paul all joined new teams last offseason, only for their contracts to be hastily offloaded at the deadline in white-flag trades.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Three-time Olympics closing ceremony host alum Carillo was hastily drafted to step in for Guthrie.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The others are hurriedly opening your food.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
His eyes strained to decipher the hurriedly ornate calligraphy, which often bled to the other side of the sheet, making the documents even harder to read.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Make Impulse Purchases People with organized homes are mindful not to buy things impulsively, explains Kristen Ziegler, the founder of Minima in Richmond, Virginia.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
-
At today's prices, gold investing isn't something retirees can afford to treat casually or impulsively.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Precipitously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitously. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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