precarity
noun
pre·car·i·ty
pri-ˈker-ə-tē 
: the state or condition of being precarious : precariousness
The older brother—Dave—raises the younger one, a responsibility that gives him a perpetual sense of life's urgency and precarity.—
Paul Elie
Paul ElieJob precarity can add to a number of social and economic challenges facing millennials including rising personal debts, growing costs of living, shrinking access to pensions and lower retirement savings.—Arif Jetha
Arif JethaExamples of precarity in a Sentence
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This shift could usher in a new phase in the economy where the precarity of the labor market compels Americans—especially younger Americans—to make short-term choices that jeopardize their long-term financial security.
—Daryl Fairweather, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the conversations about these governmental directives, the precarity of the humanities is rarely a focus of attention.
—Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Even The Golden Girls—a liberal sitcom, especially by the standards of the Reagan years—hardly mentioned the programs in its many episodes on financial precarity.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Contemporary sociology invites us, perhaps rightly, to extend the traditional concept to include the working-class experience of deindustrialization and the precarity of the white-collar knowledge worker denied a secure job.
—Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
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Daryl Fairweather, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the conversations about these governmental directives, the precarity of the humanities is rarely a focus of attention.
—Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Even The Golden Girls—a liberal sitcom, especially by the standards of the Reagan years—hardly mentioned the programs in its many episodes on financial precarity.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Contemporary sociology invites us, perhaps rightly, to extend the traditional concept to include the working-class experience of deindustrialization and the precarity of the white-collar knowledge worker denied a secure job.
—Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precarity
Cite this Entry
“Precarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precarity. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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