reckless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- recklessly adverb
- recklessness noun
Etymology
Origin of reckless
First recorded before 900; Middle English rekles, Old English reccelēas “careless” (cognate with German ruchlos ); see reck, -less
Explanation
If you are reckless, you don't think or care about the consequences of your words or actions, like a reckless driver who speeds while texting, knitting, and eating a sandwich. The word reckless comes from the Old English word receleas, meaning "careless, thoughtless, heedless." If you have a reckless attitude, you aren't concerned about what happens to yourself or others who are affected by your actions. In this usage, reckless is the opposite of considerate. Reckless friends will invite people you don't know to your house because with your parents away, it's party time. Surprise!
Vocabulary lists containing reckless
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies,” Perry’s rep said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Last fall, valuations bubbled among the “Magnificent Seven” stocks and others at the center of the AI trade, with little regard to the consequences of such reckless spending or the uncertain path to monetization.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Judge Buchanan said Buchan had been "appallingly reckless" and also banned him from driving for 10 years and 11 months.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The judge said that to show defamation, Trump had to demonstrate that the Journal and its reporters acted with “actual malice,” meaning they deliberately published a false story or showed reckless disregard for the truth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
He is incredibly reckless for someone with a high IQ.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
