recklessly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of recklessly
Explanation
Acting recklessly means doing something without stopping to think about the consequences of your action. If you recklessly throw a football near your neighbor's house, you may end up paying to repair a broken window. The adverb recklessly is nearly the same as carelessly, with one difference: doing something recklessly implies that your action is potentially dangerous in some way. Driving recklessly is always a terrible idea, as is recklessly spending every last dollar in your bank account. This risky word can be traced back to the Old English receleas, "careless, thoughtless, or heedless."
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.
Juan Luis Gutierrez Marfil, 45, of Napa, was charged Thursday with one felony count of recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest, the Napa County district attorney’s office said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Buybacks aren’t accounting trickery, and they don’t starve companies of capital unless done recklessly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
If you were found to have acted recklessly with her money or investments, engaged in self-dealing, or otherwise misused estate or trust assets, you could face serious legal consequences.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
The researchers concluded that these participants were not simply behaving more recklessly.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Oh I suppose not,” she sighed, and she sat down to watch their chess match, which culminated in an exciting checkmate of Ron’s, involving a couple of recklessly brave pawns and a very violent bishop.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
