Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm: Describes a situation, condition, or thing that poses a threat to safety, health, or well-being.
   • Lacking in security or safety; not safe from attack: Describes something that is vulnerable, unprotected, or not firmly established, leading to potential failure or harm.
   • Not safe; insecure: A general state of being hazardous or not free from danger.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The old bridge was declared unsafe for traffic. (It was dangerous and posed a risk of collapse.)
  • Storing chemicals near food is an unsafe practice. (This action involves danger and risk of contamination.)
  • The political situation made the region unsafe for tourists. (The area was not secure and posed a threat.)
  • Feeling unsafe in her own neighborhood, she decided to move. (She felt a lack of security and personal danger.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be deemed unsafe": to be officially judged or considered dangerous.
  • The building was deemed unsafe after the earthquake and was evacuated.
• "in an unsafe condition": describing something that is currently hazardous.
  • The machinery was left in an unsafe condition, which led to the accident.

Variants and Related Words

• Unsafely (adverb): In a dangerous or risky manner.
  • He was driving unsafely in the heavy rain.
• Unsafeness (noun): The state or quality of being unsafe. (Note: This is a less common derivative; "danger" or "insecurity" is often used instead.)
• Insecure (adjective): Closely related, often used interchangeably in contexts of emotional or structural lack of safety/stability.
  • an insecure job market (a job market lacking stability and safety).

Synonyms

• Dangerous: Likely to cause harm or injury.
• Hazardous: Involving risk, especially to health or safety.
• Risky: Full of the possibility of danger, failure, or loss.
• Precarious: Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
• Insecure: Not firm or fixed; liable to give way or fail.

Antonyms

• Safe: Protected from or not exposed to danger or risk.
• Secure: Fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost.
• Harmless: Not able or likely to cause harm.

Related Phrases

• "Safety first": A principle or slogan emphasizing that safety is the most important priority, often cited in contrast to unsafe conditions.
• "At your own risk": A warning that one participates in an activity or enters a place despite the known unsafe conditions.

Adjective

1. not safe from attack
2. involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
   • a dangerous criminal
   • a dangerous bridge
   • unemployment reached dangerous proportions
3. lacking in security or safety
   • his fortune was increasingly insecure
   • an insecure future