dicey

/ˈdaɪsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdaɪsi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdī-sē/ (ame, mw)

dicey — adjective

  • diceypositive
  • diciercomparative
  • diciestsuperlative

1. describes a situation where things might go wrong and you cannot be sure how the

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a situation where things might go wrong and you cannot be sure how they will end — for example, a tricky drive home in heavy snow, or a business plan that could either succeed big or lose all your savings.

例句

Driving home through the heavy snow last night was a bit dicey near the bridge.

predicative: be + dicey to describe a situation

Ignacio called the loan a dicey way to start his small bakery.

attributive: dicey + noun (often a plan or method)

同義詞
  • risky

    neutral register; works in formal writing where 'dicey' would feel too colloquial

  • iffy

    also informal; emphasises uncertainty more than danger

  • precarious

    more formal; stresses unstable balance or imminent failure

  • chancy

    near-synonym, slightly old-fashioned in everyday speech

反義詞
  • safe

    general opposite — low risk of harm or loss

  • certain

    opposite of the uncertainty aspect

用法筆記

Predominantly British/Australian informal; the American equivalent is usually 'risky' or 'iffy'. Often appears predicatively after 'be', 'look', 'sound', or 'feel', and frequently modifies abstract nouns like 'situation', 'proposition', 'moment', or 'business'.

常見錯誤

❌The patient is dicey after surgery.
✅The patient's condition is dicey after surgery.
💡'dicey' describes situations and outcomes, not the person themselves.