# racy

/ˈɹeɪsi/ (US) · /ɹˈeɪsi/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/racy
Updated: 2026-05-25

## Definition

describing code that has a race condition, where two or more parts of a program try to change the same data at the same time. This can cause the program to behave in an unexpected or dangerous way.

For teachers: characterised by a race condition, where the outcome of a program depends on the relative timing of events. Often used in the context of concurrent or parallel programming to describe code that is not thread-safe.

## Examples

- The developer found a racy condition in the login system.
- Because the two threads are accessing the same memory address without a lock, the code is racy and may crash under heavy load.
- While the single-threaded version of the algorithm worked perfectly, the multi-threaded implementation was racy, leading to inconsistent data states that were difficult to reproduce during testing.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.