fraught with danger; "dangerous waters"; "a parlous journey on stormy seas"; "a perilous voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat"; "the precarious life of an undersea diver"; "dangerous surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery"
If something is in a parlous state, it is in a bad or dangerous condition. the parlous state of our economy. = dire. in a very bad or dangerous condition (perilous)