rash

¹ American  

[rash] / ræʃ /

adjective

rasher, rashest

1. acting or tending to act too hastily or without due consideration.

   Synonyms:

   foolhardy, indiscreet, precipitate, incautious, venturous, reckless, impetuous, hasty

   Antonyms:

   cautious

2. characterized by or showing too great haste or lack of consideration.

   rash promises.

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rash ² American  

[rash] / ræʃ /

noun

1. an eruption or efflorescence on the skin.

2. a multitude of instances of something occurring more or less during the same period of time.

   a rash of robberies last month.

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rash ¹ British  

/ ræʃ /

adjective

1. acting without due consideration or thought; impetuous

2. characterized by or resulting from excessive haste or impetuosity

   a rash word

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rash ² British  

/ ræʃ /

noun

1. pathol any skin eruption

2. a series of unpleasant and unexpected occurrences

   a rash of forest fires

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Usage

What does rash mean? Rash describes acting too quickly and without proper planning, as in James was rash when he decided to quit his job after just one hard day. Rash also describes a great haste or a lack of consideration, such as Sahad avoided making rash decisions by doing a lot of research first. A rash is a skin condition, such as bumps or a red area, like you might get if you touch poison ivy. A rash is also several instances of something that occur at the same or nearly the same time, such as a rash of snowstorms over a week or a rash of electronic sales during the winter holidays. Example: He always jumps head first into rash decisions, but sometimes it works out.

Other Word Forms

• rashlike adjective
• rashly adverb
• rashness noun

Etymology

Origin of rash¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; cognate with Dutch, German rasch “quick, brisk,” Old Norse rǫskr “brave”

Origin of rash²

1700–10; < French rache (obsolete), Old French rasche skin eruption, derivative of raschier to scratch, ultimately < Latin rādere to scratch

Explanation

A rash is something that spreads like wild fire — red itchy skin or a series of unfortunate events. It can also describe an impulsive, wild decision. As an adjective, rash has meant "quick, vigorous" since the 1300s by way of Scotland. The meaning shifted to "reckless" a few hundred years later, and can still be used that way — a "rash decision" is a sudden, not well thought out one. Rash, the noun that no one wants on their skin, came a few hundred years after that, but from the French word rache which at some point meant "ringworm." Ringworm still gives us a red, itchy rash. Fun! Rash can also mean a lot of unpleasant things happening in a short amount of time, like robberies or earthquakes.

Example Sentences

Still, it seems rash to sell the Combs stocks simply because he departed.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Those who have mpox should stay at home and avoid contact with other people until their rash is healed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

As Salon has previously reported, experts emphasize measles isn’t just a fever and a rash as anti-vaccine influencers portray online.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Tirayut says his oldest daughter, six, "had nosebleeds, a rash, and an allergic reaction in her eyes, to the point where her eyelids were swollen".

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The fever and the pain returned for three more days and he got a rash that itched and eventually peeled...

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler

Related Words

• audacious
• bold
• daring
• foolhardy
• hasty
• ill-advised
• ill-considered
• immature
• impetuous
• imprudent
• indiscreet
• irrational
• reckless
• thoughtless