The meaning of "dangerous"

[ritaxis]

When you say something is dangerous
do you mean

A.there is a very high likelihood of something bad happening

or

B.there is any possibility of something extremely -- lethally or near-lethally -- bad happening

or

C. there is a very high likelihood of something very very bad happening?

D. there is either a high likelihood of something bad happening, or any likelihood of something very bad happening or both?


(C is the most exclusive as it requires both a high probability and high stakes: D is the least exclusive as it allows high probability, high stakes or both)

I ask because I was reading a thing and I wasn't sure what I would have meant by saying something about that thing was dangerous, or whether I ought to use the word at all. I am being vague because in the eight and a half minutes it took me to put the question together I have forgotten what I was reading.

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Mostly A for me.

For situation B I would tend to say "potentially dangerous".

So "dangerous" would be going into a cage with a hungry tiger or driving too fast in the dark on icy roads. Potentially dangerous might be running along a cliff path. As long as you don't trip you're OK, but a stumble that would normally result merely in grazed knees could very likely result in death.