If you say that someone is reckless, you mean that they act in a way which shows that they do not care about danger or the effect their behaviour will have on other people.
She loved to ride; on horseback, she was reckless and utterly without fear.
He is charged with causing death by reckless driving.
Synonyms: careless, wild, rash, irresponsible More Synonyms of reckless
recklesslyadverb [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
He was leaning recklessly out of the unshuttered window.
A congressional report charges that federal safety laws were recklessly violated.
recklessnessuncountable noun
He felt a surge of recklessness.
Her family were in despair at the recklessness of her spending.
reckless in British English
(ˈrɛklɪs)
adjective
having or showing no regard for danger or consequences; heedless; rash
a reckless driver
a reckless attempt
Derived forms
recklessly (ˈrecklessly)
adverb
recklessness (ˈrecklessness)
noun
Word origin
Old English recceleās (see reck, -less); related to Middle Dutch roekeloos, Old High German ruahhalōs
reckless in American English
(ˈrɛklɪs)
adjective
1.
careless; heedless
2.
not regarding consequences; headlong and irresponsible; rash
Derived forms
recklessly (ˈrecklessly)
adverb
recklessness (ˈrecklessness)
noun
Word origin
ME reckeles < OE recceleas: see reck & -less
Examples of 'reckless' in a sentence
reckless
Reckless and dangerous drivers sometimes get away with fairly minor punishments for killing a person.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Also guilty of reckless challenge in first half and had to walk the tightrope.
The Sun (2016)
It was a reckless challenge with excessive force that endangered the player's safety.
The Sun (2016)
In my opinion it was not a challenge that was reckless or endangered a player's safety.
The Sun (2016)
The referee should be able to enforce a substitution when a player has committed an act that was reckless but not intentional foul play.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In their youth, testosterone protects them against pain and often encourages reckless behaviours and engagement in tough sports.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
No. At most it was a careless challenge, not reckless.
The Sun (2016)
Overall, the referee was very inconsistent in his application of the law in terms of careless and reckless challenges throughout the 90 minutes.
The Sun (2016)
I say I hope an etiquette will evolve to curtail some of our more reckless online behaviour.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
What made all these people reckless at the same time?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The outcome of a reckless challenge should also not come into the equation.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Some other means of checking reckless drivers should be devised.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There was a lot of very reckless behaviour.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Was it suicide or a reckless act of protest gone horribly wrong?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Reckless people have more accidents by virtue of the fact they are reckless.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But if it was a reckless challenge and with excessive force then it is a red.
The Sun (2015)
Not that a great driver is reckless.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The argument goes that this could encourage reckless behaviour at the protected parts of a bank.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Is this an act of reckless cultural vandalism?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It says the days of reckless behaviour and massive bonuses are in the past.
The Sun (2013)
Can punitive damages be assessed against a principal for the intentional or reckless acts of an agent?
Christianity Today (2000)
He challenged the argument that reckless behaviour by banks has to be punished to encourage better behaviour.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But will his act of reckless heroism end in disaster when one of the train carriages explodes?
The Sun (2014)
The changes are being made to address the rising death toll from crashes caused by inexperienced and reckless young drivers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Our shocking pictures show how reckless drivers around the country are endangering lives by phoning and texting with alarming regularity.
The Sun (2013)
They weren't reckless people in the vanguard of anything.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
When the first reckless challenge comes in, he must be firm to avoid losing control.
The Sun (2016)
Nor is anyone else until the people whose reckless lending plunged us into this economic catastrophe are forced to clean up their act.
The Sun (2011)
The challenge was reckless, needless and stirred the home crowd.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And that it's financially reckless people like you that caused it?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
To hold a referendum today would, it says, be reckless.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
As an air traffic controller, I say he was reckless and arrogant.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
reckless
British English: reckless ADJECTIVE
If you say that someone is reckless, you mean that they act in a way which shows that they do not care about danger or the effect their behaviour will have on other people.
He is charged with reckless driving.
American English: reckless
Brazilian Portuguese: irresponsável
Chinese: 鲁莽的
European Spanish: imprudente
French: dangereux
German: rücksichtslos
Italian: spericolato
Japanese: 無謀な
Korean: 무모한
European Portuguese: irresponsável
Latin American Spanish: imprudente
Chinese translation of 'reckless'
reckless
(ˈrɛkləs)
adj
[person, behaviour]鲁(魯)莽的 (lǔmǎng de)
(adjective)
Definition
having no regard for danger or consequences
He is charged with causing death by reckless driving.
Synonyms
careless
Office workers are notoriously careless about their passwords.
wild
I was just a kid and full of wild ideas.
rash
Don't do anything rash until the feelings subside.
irresponsible
It would be irresponsible to accept unrealistic targets.
precipitate
I don't think we should make any precipitate decisions.
hasty
Let's not be hasty.
mindless
It was a mindless accident.
negligent
The jury ruled that the Council had acted in a negligent manner.
headlong
a headlong rush for the exit
madcap
They flitted from one madcap scheme to another.
ill-advised
She said his remarks had been ill-advised.
regardless
foolhardy
He had to be restrained from foolhardy action.
daredevil
thoughtless
It was thoughtless of her to mention it.
indiscreet
He is notoriously indiscreet about his private life.
imprudent
an imprudent investment he made many years ago
heedless
She scattered the letters about in her heedless haste.
devil-may-care
his reckless, devil-may-care attitude to life
inattentive
These children were more likely to be inattentive at school.
incautious
In case you think I was incautious, take a look at the map.
harebrained
harum-scarum
overventuresome
Opposites
responsible
,
careful
,
cautious
,
wary
,
thoughtful
,
mindful
,
observant
,
heedful
Additional synonyms
in the sense of devil-may-care
Definition
happy-go-lucky
his reckless, devil-may-care attitude to life
Synonyms
happy-go-lucky,
casual,
careless,
easy-going,
reckless,
unconcerned,
flippant,
nonchalant,
heedless,
insouciant
in the sense of foolhardy
Definition
recklessly adventurous
He had to be restrained from foolhardy action.
Synonyms
rash,
risky,
irresponsible,
reckless,
precipitate,
unwise,
impulsive,
madcap,
impetuous,
hot-headed,
imprudent,
incautious,
venturesome,
venturous,
temerarious
in the sense of harum-scarum
Definition
reckless
Synonyms
reckless,
wild,
rash,
irresponsible,
careless,
precipitate,
erratic,
hasty,
haphazard,
giddy,
impetuous,
ill-considered,
imprudent,
scatty (British, informal),
harebrained,
inconstant,
scatterbrained
Synonyms of 'reckless'
reckless
Explore 'reckless' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of hasty
Definition
done too quickly and without thought
Let's not be hasty.
Synonyms
rash,
premature,
reckless,
precipitate,
impulsive,
headlong,
foolhardy,
thoughtless,
impetuous,
indiscreet,
imprudent,
heedless,
incautious,
unduly quick
in the sense of headlong
Definition
hasty or reckless
a headlong rush for the exit
Synonyms
hasty,
reckless,
precipitate,
dangerous,
impulsive,
thoughtless,
breakneck,
impetuous,
inconsiderate
in the sense of heedless
Definition
taking no notice
She scattered the letters about in her heedless haste.
Synonyms
careless,
reckless,
negligent,
rash,
precipitate,
oblivious,
foolhardy,
thoughtless,
unthinking,
imprudent,
neglectful,
inattentive,
incautious,
unmindful,
unobservant
in the sense of ill-advised
Definition
(of a person) acting without reasonable care or thought
She said his remarks had been ill-advised.
Synonyms
misguided,
inappropriate,
foolish,
rash,
reckless,
unwise,
short-sighted,
unseemly,
foolhardy,
thoughtless,
indiscreet,
ill-judged,
ill-considered,
imprudent,
wrong-headed,
injudicious,
incautious,
impolitic,
overhasty
in the sense of imprudent
Definition
not carefully thought out
an imprudent investment he made many years ago
Synonyms
unwise,
foolish,
rash,
irresponsible,
reckless,
careless,
ill-advised,
foolhardy,
indiscreet,
unthinking,
ill-judged,
ill-considered,
inconsiderate,
heedless,
injudicious,
incautious,
improvident,
impolitic,
overhasty,
temerarious
in the sense of inattentive
Definition
not paying attention
These children were more likely to be inattentive at school.
Synonyms
preoccupied,
distracted,
careless,
negligent,
dreamy,
regardless,
vague,
thoughtless,
absent-minded,
slapdash,
neglectful,
heedless,
slipshod,
remiss (formal),
unmindful,
unobservant,
unheeding,
distrait,
ditzy or ditsy (slang)
in the sense of incautious
Definition
(of a person or action) careless or rash
In case you think I was incautious, take a look at the map.
Synonyms
careless,
rash,
reckless,
precipitate,
hasty,
negligent,
impulsive,
ill-advised,
unwary,
thoughtless,
unguarded,
indiscreet,
unthinking,
ill-judged,
imprudent,
inconsiderate,
heedless,
injudicious,
improvident
in the sense of indiscreet
Definition
incautious or tactless in revealing secrets
He is notoriously indiscreet about his private life.
Synonyms
tactless,
foolish,
rash,
reckless,
unwise,
hasty,
ill-advised,
unthinking,
ill-judged,
ill-considered,
imprudent,
heedless,
injudicious,
incautious,
undiplomatic,
impolitic
in the sense of irresponsible
Definition
not showing or done with due care for the consequences of one's actions or attitudes
It would be irresponsible to accept unrealistic targets.
Synonyms
thoughtless,
reckless,
careless,
wild,
unreliable,
giddy,
untrustworthy,
flighty,
ill-considered,
good-for-nothing,
shiftless,
harebrained,
undependable,
harum-scarum,
scatterbrained,
featherbrained
in the sense of madcap
Definition
impulsive, reckless, or unlikely to succeed
They flitted from one madcap scheme to another.
Synonyms
reckless,
rash,
impulsive,
ill-advised,
wild,
crazy (informal),
foolhardy,
thoughtless,
crackpot (informal),
hot-headed,
imprudent,
heedless,
hare-brained
Additional synonyms
in the sense of mindless
Definition
heedless
It was a mindless accident.
Synonyms
unthinking,
gratuitous,
thoughtless,
careless,
oblivious,
brutish,
inane,
witless,
heedless,
unmindful,
dumb-ass (slang)
in the sense of negligent
The jury ruled that the Council had acted in a negligent manner.
Synonyms
careless,
regardless,
slack,
thoughtless,
inadvertent,
unthinking,
forgetful,
slapdash,
neglectful,
heedless,
slipshod,
inattentive,
remiss (formal),
unmindful,
disregardful
in the sense of precipitate
Definition
done rashly or hastily
I don't think we should make any precipitate decisions.
Synonyms
hasty,
hurried,
frantic,
rash,
reckless,
impulsive,
madcap,
ill-advised,
precipitous,
impetuous,
indiscreet,
heedless,
harum-scarum
in the sense of rash
Definition
acting or done without proper thought or consideration
Don't do anything rash until the feelings subside.