kamikaze

1 of 2

noun

ka·​mi·​ka·​ze ˌkä-mi-ˈkä-zē 

1

: a member of a Japanese air attack corps in World War II assigned to make a suicidal crash on a target (such as a ship)

2

: an airplane containing explosives to be flown in a suicide crash on a target

kamikaze

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a kamikaze

2

: having or showing reckless disregard for safety or personal welfare

Did you know?

In 1274 and 1281 Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China, sent out great fleets to conquer Japan. Providential storms dispersed the fleets on both occasions and reinforced the Japanese belief that their gods would forever protect them. To the Japanese this salvation was kamikaze, “divine wind.” In World War II Japanese pilots who were willing to give up their lives to help save their country by destroying American ships were the members of a special corps named kamikaze after the storm that had saved Japan seven centuries earlier.

Synonyms

Adjective

• daredevil
• devil-may-care
• foolhardy
• harum-scarum
• hell-for-leather
• irresponsible
• reckless

Examples of kamikaze in a Sentence

Adjective

a bike messenger who regularly cuts across busy city streets with a kamikaze boldness

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Shaheds—kamikaze drones Russia had bought by the thousands from Iran—were always shot down. —Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2024

American troops likely dropped the bomb in a bid to stop kamikaze attack missions departing from the airport. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Some took the news as an occasion for some kamikaze-style trolling. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2022

Models such as the Iranian Shahed-136, which Russia bought by the planeload, are capable of one-way, kamikaze-style attacks. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 13 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Japanese, literally, divine wind

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1