rashness

American  

[rash-nis] / ˈræʃ nɪs /

noun

1. the state or quality of acting or tending to act hastily or without due consideration.

   It was an act of rashness and presumption.

   Enthusiasm is welcome but rashness and smugness are undesirable.

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Etymology

Origin of rashness

rash ¹ ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Acting without carefully considering the consequences is rashness. If you impulsively jump off the roof of the shed into a pile of leaves, you may regret your rashness. Rashness is a kind of carelessness, a failure to think about how your actions might harm yourself or someone else. Your rashness can result in hurt feelings, if you blurt out every thought without considering the effects, or in making your parents mad, if you impulsively paint the living room hot pink. Rashness comes from rash, "proceeding from a lack of consideration of consequences," a Scottish word originally meaning "nimble or quick."

Example Sentences

The 22-year-old - still younger than Robertson was when he arrived from Hull City in 2017 - removed some of the initial rashness from his game and was then consistently good defensively.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

A case was registered against Sharma by the New Delhi police for "rashness and negligent driving" said Reuters TV partner ANI.

From Reuters • Mar. 13, 2022

With her rashness and clumsiness — and yes, with those sweats — Kate Bishop, the queen of leaving too many awkward voicemails, may not be the superhero we need.

From Salon • Dec. 22, 2021

She is “censured for her rashness by the prison governor, who said he had never before heard of a case where a member of the victim’s family had become the criminal’s guarantor.”

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2019

There was a pause on Obinze’s end—something hesitant?—which made her regret her rashness.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie