1
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
workers are forbidden from engaging in unsafe activities on company time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
people who have a record of being unsafe drivers usually have to pay higher insurance premiums
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsafe
Nearly a decade ago, new information from the Environmental Protection Agency indicated the tap water in Gadsden and six other cities in Alabama contained unsafe levels of PFAS, known as forever chemicals.
—
Margaret Kates, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026
However, the definition of an unsafe level depends on the type of food.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026
Risks Of Using Wax Paper In The Oven Using wax paper in the oven is unsafe because of its low heat tolerance.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
Margaret Kates, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026
However, the definition of an unsafe level depends on the type of food.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026
Risks Of Using Wax Paper In The Oven Using wax paper in the oven is unsafe because of its low heat tolerance.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsafe
Adjective
-
Without reliably cold temperatures, snow is wetter and thinner, conditions are rainier — and for athletes that can be dangerous.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Luge is the most dangerous of the three sliding sports (bobsled and skeleton are the others) — ironic because athletes in that event actually have the most control.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Brooklyn got careless, committing nine turnovers in the quarter.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
That will be the difference in the game unless Darnold is careless with the ball.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The study, and the training, include best practices for handling and disposing of hazardous waste, Gabriel said.—
Rachel Becker,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
At least 12 of the 169 chemicals detected in the new analysis have been associated with cancer, birth defects and reproductive issues and are included in California’s Proposition 65 hazardous chemicals list.—
Aude Konan,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That came four plays before Maye threw another reckless pass into a crowd of Seahawks that fell incomplete.—
Doug Kyed,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Nationalists cheered Takaichi for her intervention on the issue, which went much further than sitting Japanese leaders have gone previously, while others criticized it as reckless.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
As procedures have become more precise, recovery times shorter, and complications rarer, surgeons have grown more willing to operate in cases once considered too risky.—
Chris Pope,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Dismissing the benefits of precious metals in this climate, then, could be both risky and counterproductive.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In a cult classic 1976 film, The Bill Koch Experience, the star slaloms at perilous speed through low brush, dodges cows in a pasture, and also leaps off a boulder, only to tumble.—
Bill Donahue,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Had all three missed the right answer, as did indeed happen, the trio would have gone into a perilous tiebreaker.—
Claire McNear,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsafe. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
