parlous

[ pahr-luhs ]

adjective

1. perilous; dangerous:

   parlous times;

   a cold and parlous winter.

2. Obsolete. clever; shrewd.

adverb

1. Rare. to a large extent; greatly.

parlous

/ ˈpɑːləs /

adjective

1. dangerous or difficult
2. cunning

adverb

1. extremely

Derived Forms

• ˈparlousness, noun
• ˈparlously, adverb

Other Words From

• parlous·ly adverb
• parlous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of parlous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of perlous, shortening of perilous

Word History and Origins

Origin of parlous¹

C14 perlous, variant of perilous

Example Sentences

The movie examines the experiences of four Mexican journalists to illustrate the parlous state of the press in Mexico, where at least 165 journalists have been killed or gone missing since 1992.

From Los Angeles Times

The comments come as the public spending think tank, the IFS, warned that the "parlous" state of the UK's finances would "hang over the campaign like a dark cloud".

From BBC

"We would like the first minister to realise the dire and parlous state that policing finds itself in and to lead the effort to secure adequate resources and meaningful recruitment."

From BBC

Libraries need all the protection they can get in these parlous times.

From Seattle Times

Thanks to courts, prosecutors and, yes, the voters, the last year saw many of the worst actors in our parlous politics indicted, convicted or ejected from the spotlight.

From Los Angeles Times