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

Example Sentences

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

The Premier League and its fellow travelers in what might be described as the transfer industrial complex have spent decades hooking fans on a constant diet of teams’ hurling money around with reckless abandon.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024

All the while, White earned a reputation for his bruising style and reckless abandon on the football field.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2023

I keep seeing my sister plummeting down, like she did in the GoPro video and a million times before, bungee jumping and cliff diving with reckless abandon.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott