Reckless

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛkləs/

Definitions

1. Acting without thinking about danger or consequences, showing careless disregard for safety or potential harm
2. Behaving in a manner that lacks caution or foresight, often ignoring risks and potential adverse outcomes
3. Exhibiting a tendency to act impulsively without considering the dangers involved, thereby endangering oneself or others

Etymology: "Reckless" is a plain compound: the Old English "rēcelēas" joined "reck," meaning to care or heed, with the suffix "-less," meaning without. So the word originally described someone who lacked care, with no sense of danger attached. Its meaning narrowed over time to the carelessness that courts risk. The "reck" part is the more unusual piece. It survives in modern English mostly in phrases like "reckless" itself and the old expression "who recks," meaning "who cares." Its relatives elsewhere in Germanic languages show the same pattern: Dutch "roekeloos," West Frisian "roekeleas," and Low German "ruuklos" all mean careless or reckless, which confirms that the idea of not caring was built into the word from the start. Middle English forms such as "rekles" and "reckeles" show the word settling into its modern spelling and sense over the centuries that followed.

Synonyms: careless, rash, hasty

Antonyms: cautious, careful, prudent