incautious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- incautiously adverb
- incautiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of incautious
1695–1705; in- 3 + cautious; compare Latin incautus in same sense
Explanation
If you're incautious, you don't worry about problems that might come up — you're a little irresponsible. An incautious person might paddle off in a kayak without putting a life jacket on. Incautious behavior might include betting your whole paycheck on a poker game, bringing six stray dogs home, or lighting a bottle rocket and launching it from your hand. Incautious children are probably used to hearing adults telling them to be careful. Incautious is a combination of in-, "not" and cautious, "careful." It's derived from the Latin adjective incautus stemming from the noun cautionem, "caution, care, or foresight."
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.
It’s difficult to think of a precedent for such a display of raw, intimate and incautious anger, especially at an event known for its glamorous but choreographed formality.
From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2022
Mr. Biden, as rendered by Mr. Biden, is a particularly vivid character, unguarded and at times politically incautious.
From New York Times • Jun. 11, 2020
And media training seems to have been another incautious palace economy.
From The Guardian • Nov. 16, 2019
This might then leave us with the impression of Levine as overly cautious in some ways but in others, particularly when his conducting was unflinchingly introspective or orgiastic, altogether incautious.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2017
From all the available evidence, there seemed to be little doubt that McCandless—rash and incautious by nature—had committed a careless blunder, confusing one plant for another, and died as a consequence.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
![]()
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.