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

See Examples For:

rashness

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

Xhaka has typically played as a holding midfielder in his six turbulent years at Arsenal, during which time his defensive indiscipline and occasional rashness in his tackling often has been exposed.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2022

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

I learned to prefer peace to war, cleverness to stupidity, love to hate, sensitivity to stoicism, humility to pomposity, reconciliation to hostility, harmony to strife, patience to rashness, gregariousness to misanthropy, creation to annihilation.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane