unsafer; unsafest
: not safe: such as
a
: able or likely to cause harm, damage, or loss
water that is unsafe to drink
unsafe driving habits
unsafe levels of lead
b
: not giving protection from danger, harm, or loss
an unsafe vehicle
unsafe working conditions
c
: not protected from danger, harm, or loss
feeling frightened and unsafe
d
: likely to take risks : not careful
unsafe drivers
Examples of unsafe in a Sentence
workers are forbidden from engaging in unsafe activities on company time
people who have a record of being unsafe drivers usually have to pay higher insurance premiums
Recent Examples on the Web
Concerns over substandard farmworker housing intensified after a 2023 mass shooting in Half Moon Bay drew attention to the unsafe and often overlooked living conditions of the region’s agricultural workforce.
—
Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025
Dujarric said that nearly 90% of water infrastructure – including wells, pumping stations, and sewage plants – had been destroyed or damaged by hostilities, exacerbating disease risks and forcing families to rely on unsafe sources.
—Abeer Salman, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
Rikers Island makes all New Yorkers unsafe, not just those who are housed there.
—Nicholas Turner, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
Many left the profession early due to emotional exhaustion, family and personal health concerns, unsafe staffing ratios, moral injury and lack of institutional support.
—Kymberlee Montgomery, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
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Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025
Dujarric said that nearly 90% of water infrastructure – including wells, pumping stations, and sewage plants – had been destroyed or damaged by hostilities, exacerbating disease risks and forcing families to rely on unsafe sources.
—Abeer Salman, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
Rikers Island makes all New Yorkers unsafe, not just those who are housed there.
—Nicholas Turner, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
Many left the profession early due to emotional exhaustion, family and personal health concerns, unsafe staffing ratios, moral injury and lack of institutional support.
—Kymberlee Montgomery, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsafe
Cite this Entry
“Unsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsafe. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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