Master confusing words with ease
Precipitate vs. Precipitous
Precipitate
/prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/Examples:
The surprise announcement precipitated a flurry of activity.His hasty actions could precipitate an unintended outcome.The argument precipitated a rift between the friends.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Precipitous
/prəˈsɪpətəs/Examples:
The precipitous cliffs loomed over the crashing waves.She navigated the precipitous path with extreme care.Sales saw a precipitous drop after the scandal broke.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Precipitate can be remembered as causing something to happen quickly, while precipitous relates to something steep or sudden.
- Think of precipitate as an action like rain falling quickly, whereas precipitous describes the steepness of a cliff.
- Precipitate often involves a consequence or result, but precipitous describes physical or metaphorical steepness.
- Remember that precipitate has a more active connotation, whereas precipitous often implies a state.
- Precipitate can also refer to a substance from a chemical reaction, unlike precipitous that does not refer to substances.
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