Advanced and Proficiency Vocabulary for Exams(e.g.GRE, Banks, Civil Services, SAT / LSAT). For IELTS/TOEFL, and everyday spoken vocabulary, go to our Spoken Vocabulary Database.
precipitate | precipitation
cause to happen suddenly or quicker than expected, or fall from clouds.
- How to Memorize
- precipitate - hasty
- Analysis
‘Precipitate’ is a formal way of expressing something that acts like a catalyst. In other words, it causes something else to happen, typically in a sudden and negative way. The word stresses a lack of deliberation and a sense of prematureness. It is also frequently used in relation to the weather to describe a downfall such as rain, snow, sleet, etc.
- Synonym
- Antonym
- Example(s)
Any kind of intervention in that region could precipitate a full-scale war. We want to avoid that at all costs.
We will need to move the event indoors as there is expected to be a large amount of precipitation soon after it's due to start.
It is hard to work in such a high-pressure environment where one small mistake could precipitate disaster.
