All 5 Uses of
precarious
in
The Fountainhead
- The approval, together with that wise half-smile, granted him a grandeur he did not have to earn; a blind admiration would have been precarious; a deserved admiration would have been a responsibility; an undeserved admiration was precious.†
Chpt 1.4 *
- It was only when Toohey had risen to escort Keating to the door—and Keating noted how precariously erect he stood on his very small feet—that Toohey paused suddenly to say: "Incidentally, it seems to me as if I should remember some personal connection between us, though for the life of me I can't quite place…oh, yes, of course.†
Chpt 2.3
- She sat looking at him, one arm flung over the back of her chair, a pencil dangling precariously between the tips of her fingers.†
Chpt 2.7
- She listened emptily to empty words uttered as if the speaker would be insulted by any sign of enthusiastic interest from his listener, as if only boredom were the only bond possible between people, the only preservative of their precarious dignity.†
Chpt 2.8
- A dim instinct told him that he could preserve a precarious security of spirit so long as he did not touch upon that subject.†
Chpt 4.7
Definition:
-
(precarious) unsafe or in danger of getting worse -- especially in danger of falling