swashbuckling
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or characteristic of a swashbuckler
-
(esp of films in period costume) full of adventure and excitement
Etymology
Origin of swashbuckling
First recorded in 1685–95; swashbuckl(er) + -ing 2, -ing 1
Explanation
Going on bold, exciting, and exotic adventures is swashbuckling. The stories of the heroic outlaw Robin Hood involve a lot of swashbuckling. You can use swashbuckling as a noun or an adjective, so you might dress up as the swashbuckling Inigo Montoya from the movie The Princess Bride, or try to convince your friends to watch a movie full of adventure and swashbuckling. Swashbuckler came first, a 16th-century name for a swaggering fighter. Earlier, such a character was simply called a swash, which also meant "fall of a blow."
Vocabulary lists containing swashbuckling
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.
Appeared in the April 29, 2026, print edition as 'A Swashbuckling Polish Hero'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Harry Brook – 7 – Swashbuckling 41 in the first innings was the most important knock of the match.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
Swashbuckling opener Verma, who came in as replacement for injured Pratika Rawal in the semi-final, reached her fifty.
From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025
Swashbuckling economist Paul Romer recently received the Nobel Prize for his work in measuring the beneficial impact of human thinking, creativity and rulemaking on global abundance.
From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2019
Swashbuckling action, a great many vivid characters, and a weird mystery—all spun for you by one of the master story-tellers of our time.
From The Invaders by Leinster, Murray
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.
