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I am looking for a word (an adjective) that describes something that is likely to cause bad consequences if gone after/considered/executed. Basically one is likely to regret if they mess with it. Or, another way to put it, one has to realize all ins-and-outs before committing/choosing to go this way, otherwise they are likely to regret it.

I tend to think that the meaning of 'risky' is close to what I am looking for, but I don't think it hits the spot 100% because taking a risk implies relying on luck: if one is lucky enough everything will be all right, if not then, well, bad luck. But what I am asking about doesn't have anything to do with being lucky, it's rather being smart and understanding what you are doing.

So the idea is to come up with a right word that clearly says to the random people to keep out, so they don't hurt themselves.

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    Risky sounds good, or simply dangerous.
    – Cerberus
    Feb 23, 2014 at 3:04
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    I think hazardous is also good.
    – user3214
    Feb 23, 2014 at 7:06
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    From a thesaurus: dangerous, hazardous, perilous, high-risk, unsafe, precarious, treacherous. Unfortunately, you've made your question so generic that I can't recommend any one of these in particular. You aim to describe something "likely to cause bad consequences if being gone after/considered/executed," where one must consider "all ins-and-outs before committing/choosing to go this way." That could describe starting an affair, taking illegal drugs, running with scissors, or a host of other things. All of those thesaurus entries are good, but which one is best depends on the circumstances.
    – J.R. ♦
    Feb 23, 2014 at 10:15
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    @starsplusplus, because taking a risk implies relying on luck, if one is lucky enough everything will be all right, if not then, well, bad luck. Now, what I am asking about doesn't have anything to do with being lucky, it's rather being smart and understand what you are doing.
    – Trident D'Gao
    Feb 24, 2014 at 14:56
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    I respectfully disagree with the idea that taking a risk necessarily implies a component of luck. Some situations may involve a risk that is driven by luck, while another may be a risk driven by, say, the prospective skill of the operator of a machine that could cause harm. You could easily have situations in which a "calculated risk" did not involve random chance at all.
    – David W
    Feb 24, 2014 at 19:05

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I am going to be bold enough to suggest the best word is perilous. The words suggested in some of the comments all have a degree of validity to them, but the tone of your question to me suggests a notion that is somehow better conveyed by perilous.

I realize that, at a most basic level, perilous and hazardous are generally equivalent. I do offer, however, that perilous tends to convey the consideration of an action that carries with it a risk - which is what you specifically requested. A person walking down the street may encounter hazards, such as broken sidewalks, but peril (and, hence, perilous) conveys something more immediate and threatening.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration.

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I feel like "life-altering" is a good way to express this. It sounds like you're describing something that isn't inherently good or bad, but it's associated with a significant number of consequences that one must consider carefully before willingly engaging in it. It has the potential to seriously impact or alter someone's way of life.

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