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

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

It depends a LOT on the context, the conversation and the people and the topic and the qualifiers.

So apparently I don't use the word terribly precisely.

A, probably. How bad is "bad"? You might cut your finger? You might cut your finger off?

B, it depends. The "any" chances I often ignore. Beyond 6 sigmas? Fuggedaboudit!

For C I would use stronger terms, or at least strong qualifiers. "That's way too close to suicidal!"

D, probably.