Is "risk" always a bad thing? I have heard it used in context that could be good, as well as when it implies something is bad.
He risks losing what he has.
Vs.
He risks gaining something more.
The second seems strange to me though.
word-meaningword-usage
Is "risk" always a bad thing? I have heard it used in context that could be good, as well as when it implies something is bad.
He risks losing what he has.
Vs.
He risks gaining something more.
The second seems strange to me though.
Best Answer
When in doubt, we can always consult a dictionary. This is what NOAD says (notice how the definition is riddled with nouns like danger, harm, threat and loss, as well as adjectives such as unpleasant, unwelcome and unfortunate):
I think it's safe to say that, when using the word risk, we are highlighting the possibility of something bad happening, in spite of the possibility for gain.
There is one definition out of those 10 that might leave wiggle room for an exception:
but even that exception has a few contingencies:
Going back to the sentence you asked about:
I would rephrase that as:
otherwise, you risk sounding like you're unaware of the word's true meaning.