adventurous
Americanadjective
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inclined or willing to engage in adventures; enjoying adventures.
- Synonyms:
- venturesome, venturous, daring, bold
-
full of risk; requiring courage; hazardous.
an adventurous undertaking.
adjective
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Also: adventuresome. daring or enterprising
-
dangerous; involving risk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adventurous
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French aventureus, aventureux; equivalent to adventure ( def. ) + -ous ( def. )
Explanation
If you're adventurous, you're eager to try new things and take risks. If you can't wait to go kayaking in the Amazon and you're willing to try that stew with the weird things floating around in it, you're adventurous. Adventurous means eager for adventure, and both words come from the Latin for “about to happen” — an adventure always has an element of the unknown. Being adventurous means you’re willing to go where you haven’t been before and do things you’ve never done, even if you don’t know how it’s going to turn out.
Vocabulary lists containing adventurous
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Words to Describe a Hero or Heroine
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Travel
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adventurous casting choices are made all the time, though, and sometimes they work out brilliantly.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Adventurous types can also look to Sicily for a rare experience -- the chance to ski down an active volcano.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
Adventurous hikers can continue onward toward the right to reach Foggy Lake, which makes for a great cooldown spot on a hot summer day.
From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024
And if this engaging film whets your appetite for an even more encompassing look at this inspiring woman, her recently released memoir, “Beyond This Harbor: Adventurous Tales of the Heart,” may be just the thing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2023
Adventurous hikers cautiously eat mushrooms, aware that many species can kill us.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
