1 unsafe | Definition of unsafe

unsafe

adjective
un·​safe | \ ˌən-ˈsāf How to pronounce unsafe (audio) \
unsafer; unsafest

Definition of unsafe

: 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

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of unsafe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Commissioners had argued that the development would be unsafe due to the amount of traffic on Cedar Street and the lack of sidewalks connecting the property to the nearby bus station. Kathleen Mcwilliams, courant.com, "Judge rules in favor of developer seeking to build affordable housing apartments in Newington," 4 Sep. 2019 Decades ago, these women came seeking a new life after leaving behind first marriages, families and neighborhoods where living openly was unsafe. Rina Raphael, New York Times, "Why Doesn’t Anyone Want to Live in This Perfect Place?," 24 Aug. 2019 Games or activities determined by security to be unsafe will not be permitted. Ed Masley, azcentral, "What you need to know about the Rolling Stones concert at State Farm Stadium," 20 Aug. 2019 The heat at noon and into the afternoon can be unsafe. Heloise, Washington Post, "Hints From Heloise: August’s dog days mean special care for your pup," 17 Aug. 2019 Of those, 546 were found to be unsafe on at least a quarter of the days they were tested, down from 610 in the initial report. Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY, "America's dirtiest beaches list revised after errors discovered," 9 Aug. 2019 Next, the industry would have to overcome public fears that autonomous technology is unsafe. Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Autonomous Trains Are Ready to Roll," 29 July 2019 While both of those are central to well-being, the way people think about them, some observers say, may be feeding the perception that their environment is unsafe. The Christian Science Monitor, "Saving the academic integrity of student-athletes," 16 Aug. 2019 In Florida, 180 of the 263 sites sampled in 2018 were deemed unsafe for at least one day. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "List of ‘dirty’ beaches due to fecal bacteria includes 10 in Alabama, Florida," 23 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unsafe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of unsafe

1597, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for unsafe

unsafe

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unsafe

: able or likely to cause harm, damage, or loss
: not giving protection from danger, harm, or loss
: not protected from danger, harm, or loss

unsafe

adjective
un·​safe | \ ˌən-ˈsāf\

Kids Definition of unsafe

: exposed or exposing to danger People are unsafe on the streets. The bridge is unsafe for heavy trucks.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on unsafe

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with unsafe

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unsafe

Spanish Central: Translation of unsafe

Nglish: Translation of unsafe for Spanish Speakers