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

rashes plural

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

Derived Forms

• rashness
  noun
• rashlike
  adjective
• rashly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rashes
  plural

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

See Examples For:

rash rashes rasher rashest

Nothing rash, and nobody here is your financial adviser.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

As someone who is perennially image-conscious, constantly innovating, and occasionally rash, it’s not surprising that an artist like Madonna would incorporate new technology into her art.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

The expulsion is part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s crackdown on officials pursuing flashy projects and rash policies during an economic slowdown.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Ravindra's pull was rash, resulting in a top edge to Smith.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Hadn’t there been, say, a rash of hurricanes in the months after Leah and I were born?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Measles causes fever, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

For those who do, the most common symptoms include high fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, nausea and rashes.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Rhapsido, a treatment for chronic rashes that was approved in the US last September and then in the European Union at the end of April, has already generated $64 million in sales, Novartis said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

The organization said dirty diapers leave babies at risk of developing rashes or urinary tract infections.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

I did not look at his face because I did not want to see the rashes that spread across every inch of it, so many, so evenly spread that they made his skin look bloated.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

As written, the recipe needs nothing more than a generous swipe of cultured butter and a plate of soft scrambled eggs, maybe a rasher of bacon if you’re feeling traditional.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025

Braised wagyu beef cheek was less tender than it should have been, but butter and dark chocolate enriched the sauce, cambozola sharpened the accompanying gratin, and a crisp rasher of speck capped the dish.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2018

It didn’t have the toothsome texture or smoky depth of a rasher of butcher’s dry-cured bacon, but I’d happily buy it again as an alternative to “nitro-meat”.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2018

Matt made a sandwich with two angus patties with red onion, cheddar, caramelized onions, rasher bacon, grilled pineapple, a fried egg, tomato chili jam and aioli wrapped in lettuce.

From Time ● Aug. 4, 2015

There was much more than she'd asked for: hot bread, butter and honey and blackberry preserves, a rasher of bacon and a soft- boiled egg, a wedge of cheese, a pot of mint tea.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Show business is fear-driven, and that fuels Deborah and Ava’s rashest decisions more than anything else.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025

But there were officials in place who could temper his rashest impulses.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2019

It wasn’t remotely the same, of course, and the overstatement rebounded against Strauss, who had never said anything of the kind but was soon being held accountable for the rashest words of his admirers.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 17, 2016

He was the prettiest, the brashest, the baddest, the fastest, the loudest, the rashest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2016

Then up and up, past bluffs that shun The rashest chamois; where eagles sun Fierce wings and brood; where the mists are spun.

From Myth and Romance Being a Book of Verses by Cawein, Madison Julius

Related Words

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