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
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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 and impulsive, Turner made a mark in many walks of life.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 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 and brave, amiable and with good humor, Washington Donaldson won hearts with his failures as well as his successes.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2024
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
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.
