dauntless

adjective

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daunt·less | \ ˈdȯnt-ləs

, ˈdänt- \

Definition of dauntless

: incapable of being intimidated or subdued : fearless, undaunted a dauntless hero

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Did You Know?

The history of the world is peopled with dauntless men and women who refused to be subdued or "tamed" by fear. The word dauntless can be traced back to Latin domare, meaning "to tame" or "to subdue." When our verb daunt (a domare descendant borrowed by way of Anglo-French) was first used in the 14th century, it shared these meanings. The now-obsolete "tame" sense referred to the taming or breaking of wild animals, particularly horses: an undaunted horse was an unbroken horse. Not until the late 16th century did we use undaunted with the meaning "undiscouraged and courageously resolute" to describe people. By then, such lionhearted souls could also be described as undauntable, and finally, in Henry VI, Part 3, Shakespeare gave us dauntless.

Examples of dauntless in a Sentence

dauntless heroes who are inclined to rush to danger, not away from it

Recent Examples on the Web Michelangelo, whose dauntless achievements Steinberg returned to again and again, is the subject of the first two volumes. — Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, "See More, Think More," 27 Apr. 2021 Tubbs effectively argues that each woman had a particular impact on her son, citing Alberta King’s commitment to community and social justice, Louise Little’s dauntless political activism, and Berdis Baldwin’s love of writing and poetry. — Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, "MLK, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin were shaped by their mothers," 24 Feb. 2021 Around the state’s restaurant industry, tales of despair are increasingly met with tales of hope: new foods, emerging brands, dauntless entrepreneurs. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Dozens of new restaurants opened in Connecticut during the coronavirus pandemic, defying the odds," 22 Feb. 2021 The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 Sierra portrayed Chano as a dedicated and dauntless cop who was emotionally invested in his work. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, "Actor Gregory Sierra of 'Barney Miller' and 'Sanford and Son' dies at age 83," 25 Jan. 2021 The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020 The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. — Drew Broach | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "On Pearl Harbor Day, meet Louisiana's World War II recipients of Medal of Honor," 7 Dec. 2020

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