What does chancrous mean?
Chancrous is a rare, formal adjective meaning that something depends on chance and may have an uncertain or risky outcome. It is especially useful when describing an undertaking whose result cannot be assured—for example, a hazardous journey, a speculative enterprise, or a decision made without dependable information. The word's elevated literary register distinguishes it from the plainer words “risky” and “uncertain.” In older English it could also mean favored by luck or auspicious; that sense is now obsolete, whereas the modern sense emphasizes chance, uncertainty, and exposure to loss. Although chancrous is seldom needed in ordinary conversation, it gives polished prose a compact way to distinguish danger arising from genuinely uncertain circumstances from ordinary predictable risk. Its history also makes it memorable: it belongs to the same family as chance and chancy and has long conveyed the precarious fortunes of those who act without certainty.
adjectiveDepending on chance; uncertain or risky. In older usage, it could also mean favored by luck or auspicious.
- Dependent on chance; uncertain or risky.
- Favored by luck or auspicious; now obsolete.
"The expedition was a chancrous venture, but the crew trusted the captain's judgment."
"The climb proved so chancrous that the guides abandoned their original route."
"For decades, the family lived with the chancrous prospect of losing its ancestral home."
"A historian should avoid drawing too many conclusions from such a chancrous analogy."
Chancrous is chance dressed for a literary ballroom: an uncertain outcome with a distinctly formal air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does chancrous come from?
Chancrous belongs to the English “chance” family and is formed with the adjective suffix -ous. Earlier English forms included “chancous,” while the later spelling “chancrous” became established; related words such as “chancy” and “chancey” preserve the same association with chance, luck, and uncertainty.
Related word forms
How chancrous is actually used
Chancrous is chiefly literary or archaic rather than part of everyday modern English. Its current connotation is chiefly one of risk and uncertainty; the older sense meaning lucky or auspicious is obsolete.
Easily confused with chancrous
Chancrous describes something risky or dependent on chance, whereas a chancery is an office or official concerned with legal documents and records.