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Definition of "parlous" [par•lous]

  • Perilous; dangerous: "starting from scratch in parlous economic times” ( Madalynne Reuter). (adjective)
  • Obsolete Dangerously cunning. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "parlous" in a sentence
  • "Bain's legal representative, Nicholas Ellis, referred to "what might be described as the parlous financial state" of Rangers."
  • "It's in parlous condition, and it's filled with small, pilferable items, such as unopened letters and a rubber stamp that reads "I never answer letters, Ernest Hemingway.""
  • ""Between our omnipresent legislatures which spend our time and money repealing what we lawyers already know, and enacting laws for the courts to set aside, these are what might be called parlous times for the profession, but my long suit is not in understanding statutes, but people.""