Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

precipitous

adjective
 
 
/prɪˈsɪp.ɪ.təs/ US  /priːˈsɪp.ɪ.t̬əs/

Definition

If a slope is precipitous, it is very steep: a precipitous mountain pathHills and mountains If a reduction or increase is precipitous, it is fast or great: Over the past 18 months, there has been a precipitous fall in car sales.EnormousBig and quite bigFast and rapidShort in time precipitously
 
 
/-li/ adverb
The price of shares dropped precipitously with the news of poor sales figures.Fast and rapidShort in time
(Definition of precipitous adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Browse related topics

You are looking at an entry to do with Fast and rapid, but you might be interested in these topics from the Movement and location topic area:

“precipitous” in other dictionaries

Word of the Day

gesticulate

to make movements with your hands or arms, to express something or to emphasize what you are saying

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More