reckless abandon

American  

[rek-lis uh-ban-duhn] / ˈrɛk lɪs əˈbæn dən /

noun

1. unrestrained surrender to impulse or passion, without regard for convention, appearances, good sense, or risk.

   He played with reckless abandon, his enthusiasm for the game flowing from his every pore.

   With this data deal you'll be able to stream movies and music with reckless abandon.

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Commonly Confused

See reckless abandonment ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of reckless abandon

First recorded in 1830–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reckless abandon

It was a matter of timing for many people, not reckless abandon as the mortgage loan officer would like us to believe.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

“What defensive back would jump that route in a playoff game, with reckless abandon? It just didn’t make sense.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

It encouraged wanderlust as Sal and Dean traveled across the country, indulging in their freedoms and desires with almost reckless abandon.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2025

These days, they’re practically inescapable in the replies to many users’ posts and are firing off direct messages with reckless abandon.

From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2024

Their joy was evident in the way they nodded and grinned while they resumed shoving cake into their mouths with reckless abandon.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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