adventurous
Americanadjective
-
inclined or willing to engage in adventures; enjoying adventures.
- Synonyms:
- venturesome, venturous, daring, bold
-
full of risk; requiring courage; hazardous.
an adventurous undertaking.
adjective
-
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
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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.
The neighborhood where the museum is located — once a well-appointed Nile-side quarter of luxury hotels, architecturally adventurous towers and botanical gardens — became a prime target for the RSF.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
We trumpeted their classy goals and their adventurous play a week ago and wrongly assumed that they had gumption to go with it.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
A bustling mountain town in the French Alps, Chamonix is known to attract adventurous spirits as both residents and tourists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
But it is accurate to say that strategy is adventurous, while logistics can be boring.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
“It is kind of adventurous, though,” said Lettie.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
