precipitous

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pre·cip·i·tous /prɪˈsɪpɪtəs/ adjective 1 very sudden 突然的，骤然的，急剧的 a precipitous decline in stock prices 股价的骤跌2 DANGEROUSdangerously high or steep 险峻的，陡峭的 a precipitous path 陡峭的小路3 HURRY formal happening or done too quickly, and not thought about carefully 草率的，仓促的，贸然的 a precipitous marriage 草率的婚姻 —precipitously adverb

Examples from the Corpus

precipitous• More telling are the precipitous cost increases at state universities, which account for four out of every five college diplomas.• a precipitous decision• Much of the precipitous decline in return on equity was due to a rise in labor costs over those years.• The precipitous discharge of some young children, I think, was avoided.• a precipitous drop in property values• If a bear suddenly appears, the goats head for precipitous ledges where the less agile predator can not follow.• The precipitous nature of the slide is also noteworthy.• A precipitous path led down the cliff.• A few hundred steps down a gorge, then up the precipitous rock wall.• Looking back, the precipitous shreds of sheeting rain effectively sanctioned a cordon between himself and what had gone before.• There were no drainage ditches here, the shoulders too abrupt, the slope too precipitous, to collect water.