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
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.
The British artist, who died Thursday, captured California cool like no other while remaining creatively adventurous throughout his life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
There was also vindication for some of Lifeson’s more adventurous guitar work of the early ’80s, when he all but invented a new chime-laden language of soloing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Every foodie, regardless of how adventurous their palate may be, has to draw the line, eventually.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
It was no small effort for the jet-setting American to reach Pitcairn Island, which bills itself as a "must see for adventurous travellers seeking truly remote horizons".
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
We had a collection of pressed flowers and many shells, not only the local kinds from the Bournemouth beach but exotic ones collected by my adventurous great-grandfather during his travels to Australia and such places.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
