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risky

Etymology and origin of the English word risky

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1813

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈrɪs.ki/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from risk and -y.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Involving risk, dangerous: 1813 in Merriam-Webster, 1825 in Etymonline, 1827 in the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Riskful, in the same sense, is from 1793, and riskless by 1818.[2] A rare sense, venturesome or bold, is from 1826,[4] and after French risqué, bordering on the improper, from 1881.[4] Risky shift, a move towards bolder decisions in groups, is a term of social psychology from 1964.[4]

Timeline

  • 1793 – riskful.[2]
  • 1813 – risky.[3]
  • 1881 – risqué, improper.[4]
  • 1964 – risky shift.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Involving risk or danger; hazardous.
  2. (dated) Slightly improper; risqué.

Word family

  • riskiness
  • riskily
  • unrisky

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Risky.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/risky. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·