Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective adventurous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of adventurous are daredevil, daring, foolhardy, rash, reckless, and venturesome. While all these words mean "exposing oneself to danger more than required by good sense," adventurous implies a willingness to accept risks but not necessarily imprudence.

adventurous pioneers

When would daredevil be a good substitute for adventurous?

The words daredevil and adventurous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, daredevil stresses ostentation in daring.

daredevil motorcyclists

When is it sensible to use daring instead of adventurous?

In some situations, the words daring and adventurous are roughly equivalent. However, daring implies fearlessness in courting danger.

daring mountain climbers

When can foolhardy be used instead of adventurous?

The words foolhardy and adventurous can be used in similar contexts, but foolhardy suggests a recklessness that is inconsistent with good sense.

the foolhardy sailor ventured into the storm

When is rash a more appropriate choice than adventurous?

While in some cases nearly identical to adventurous, rash suggests imprudence and lack of forethought.

a rash decision

When could reckless be used to replace adventurous?

Although the words reckless and adventurous have much in common, reckless implies heedlessness of probable consequences.

a reckless driver

In what contexts can venturesome take the place of adventurous?

The synonyms venturesome and adventurous are sometimes interchangeable, but venturesome implies a jaunty eagerness for perilous undertakings.

venturesome stunt pilots

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adventurous For the adventurous, the Wild Caving Tour offers belly crawls and tight squeezes, requiring hard hats and headlamps. Erin Gifford, USA Today, 18 June 2025 There is even a variety of 2-in-1 laptops to consider, with adventurous designs and integrated touchscreens. Luke Larsen, Wired News, 15 June 2025 What the younger Seed found, accompanied by memories from her mother’s colleagues, was a rich archive of adventurous work and personal expression: photos, journals, contact sheets, Super8 film, audio pieces and a trove of interviews. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 For one thing: Bruce Springsteen heard Church’s new album, Evangeline vs. the Machine, an adventurous project that introduces orchestral and choral sounds to Church’s rebellious brand of country music. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for adventurous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adventurous
Adjective
  • Scattered on the shelves are adventure books from my childhood, with the daring adventurer Biggles from the eponymous British series embarrassingly well represented.
    Jack Barlow, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2025
  • After the stoppage of play, what had been a daring weeklong pas de deux between this U.S. Open’s entrants and this wonderful old beast of a course devolved into a sopping-wet street fight of survival.
    Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • Shelter Homes for Sale June 18, 2025 This sleek, modernist retreat on Gardiners Bay in East Hampton blends beach cottage vibes with bold design.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 June 2025
  • Epic turns it up a notch with a bolder slub design in the warp yarns and a natural marble character.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Very courageous of his elderly owner to part with him to ensure he was delivered into caring and loving hands.
    Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
  • This month, a group of courageous plaintiffs took their fight for fairness to federal court, filing a civil rights lawsuit to hold California accountable.
    Tri Ta, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Great leaders are not fearless beings who stoically snub their noses at terror.
    Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • Fleet-footed, fearless and forward-thinking, 20-year-old Yildiz is a box of tricks.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Bloom’s bravest moment of June 16, 1904, comes a few pages later: —Mendelssohn was a jew and Karl Marx and Mercadante and Spinoza.
    Benjamin Hale June 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
  • Sure enough, the seemingly eternally brave Achilles was killed by an arrow to his heel during the Trojan War.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • The newly-hyperactive Apple and Amazon, which control relatively few franchises, are more adventuresome with originals than the older studios.
    Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
  • However, college kids and teens are adventuresome travel companions who enjoy a mix of outdoor adventure, cultural immersion, fine dining, and cool shopping.
    Jackie Burrell, Parents, 29 July 2024
Adjective
  • While some enterprising users are already 3D printing solutions to this problem, Nintendo or some smart accessory maker should make a more official mouse holster to support this unique control scheme.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
  • Their hope is pinned on the idea that an enterprising AI developer will miraculously see beyond the bounds of existing AI and derive a groundbreaking new approach that no one has yet even imagined.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • Written and directed by documentarian Brian Tetsuro Ivie (Emanuel) in his narrative directorial debut, the film tells the story of an impulsive young woman and a reclusive older man who launch on a poignant cross‑country road trip.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 June 2025
  • Unfortunately, impulsive, inventory-optimization metric chasing often soothes symptoms while elevating strategic risk.
    Noah Barsky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adventurous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adventurous. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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