Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Inclined to undertake new and daring enterprises.
  • adjective Requiring or characterized by boldness or daring; hazardous; risky.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Inclined or willing to incur hazard or engage in adventures; bold to encounter danger; daring; venturesome; courageous; enterprising.
  • Full of hazard; attended with risk; exposing to danger; requiring courage; hazardous: as, an adventurous undertaking.
  • Synonyms Adventurous, Enterprising, Rash, Reckless, Foolhardy, venturesome, venturous. The adventurous man incurs risks from love of the novel, the arduous, and the bold, trusting to escape through the use of his bodily and mental powers; he would measure himself against difficult things. When this spirit does not go so far as to deserve the name of rashness or foolhardiness, it is considered a manly trait. The enterprising man is alert to undertake new and large things, not necessarily involving risk; he is constantly breaking out of routine. The rash man hastens to do a thing with little thought of the consequences, and generally in the heat of feeling. With the foolhardy man the risks are so great and the absence of thought is so entire that he seems to have the hardihood of the fool. The reckless man has the impetuosity of the rash man, but he is more careless of consequences. The rash man is too precipitate; the reckless man shows temerity; the foolhardy man is careless or defiant even when he undertakes the impossible.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Inclined to adventure; willing to incur hazard; prone to embark in hazardous enterprise; rashly daring; -- applied to persons.
  • adjective Full of hazard; attended with risk; exposing to danger; requiring courage; rash; -- applied to acts.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of a person Inclined to adventure; willing to incur risks; prone to embark in hazardous enterprise; rashly daring.
  • adjective Full of hazard; attended with risk; exposing to danger; requiring courage; rash.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective willing to undertake or seeking out new and daring enterprises

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English aventurous, aunterous, from Old French aventuros (whence French aventureux)

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Examples

  • I think your definition of "adventurous" is pretty generous, Anon. 2: 41 PM, June 29, 2007

    Ten Cents a Dance Roger Sutton 2007

  • CINCINNATI - July 18th 2008 - Fear of the unknown prevents many people from learning new skills or participating in adventurous activities.

    BRADLEY MORRIS 2010

  • The British Government and the Governments of the Dominions are furnishing dollar for dollar-or the British Government more-towards putting British migrants into Empire territories instead of having them dispersed all over foreign nations in adventurous fields of investment and settlement.

    The Ties of Empire 1925

  • But what about those occasions when adventurous is exactly what you’re looking for?

    Food on the Web ewillett 2008

  • That can be profitable publishing, to be sure, but I would hardly call it adventurous.

    Ten Cents a Dance Roger Sutton 2007

  • I'm Ben, otherwise known as the adventurous, crazy, energetic one.

    CNN Transcript May 7, 2009 2009

  • He was described as adventurous and had a knack for exploring.

    CNN Transcript Jun 12, 2008 2008

  • He was known as adventurous, and he had a knack for exploring.

    CNN Transcript Jun 12, 2008 2008

  • Castle, that it began to be called the adventurous (or hazardous) Castle of Douglas: Whereupon Sir John Walton being in suit of an English lady, she wrote to him that when he had kept the adventurous Castle of Douglas seven years, then, he might think himself worthy to be a suitor to her.

    Castle Dangerous 2008

  • I hear that Badly Drawn Boy's usual style is more experimental and adventurous, which is what you'd expect.

    Archive 2004-06-01 Julie D. 2004

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