reckless
REK-lis
/ˈrɛklɪs/
Driving or acting without regard to the danger or consequences of one's actions; utterly careless.
Reckless driving is a criminal offense, not just a simple infraction, because it shows a conscious disregard for human safety.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Old English 'receleas', meaning 'careless or negligent'. It combines 'reccan' (to care for or heed) with the suffix '-leas' (without). Literally, a reckless driver is 'without care' for their own life or others.
Word relationships
- negligent: Negligent implies a failure to take proper care through carelessness, while reckless implies actively ignoring a known danger.
- audacious: Audacious means bold and daring, which can sometimes be positive, whereas reckless is always negative and dangerous.
- cautious: Cautious driving involves taking extreme care to avoid danger, the exact opposite of reckless driving.
Commonly confused with
- feckless: Feckless means weak, useless, or irresponsible, while reckless means wild, daring, and dangerously careless.
Word family
- recklessly (adverb): In a wild, careless, and dangerous manner.
- recklessness (noun): The state or quality of being dangerously careless.
Collocations
- reckless driving
- reckless endangerment
- reckless behavior
- reckless disregard
Example sentences
- "He was charged with reckless driving after weaving through heavy traffic at speeds exceeding one hundred miles per hour." A news report on a high-speed police chase.
Memory hook
A reckless driver has 'wreck' in the name because that is exactly what they are going to do. Reckless leads to a wreck.
When not to use
Do not use 'reckless' for simple mistakes made out of ignorance or minor negligence, like forgetting to turn on headlights at dusk.
Fun facts
- The verb 'reck' (to care) is almost entirely obsolete in modern English, surviving only in the word 'reckless' and the poetic 'reckon'.
Explore more words
recklessness, imprudent, negligent, squander, Headstrong, Willful
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