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daredevil

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noun

as in cowboy
a person who seeks out very dangerous or foolhardy adventures with no apparent fear that little daredevil has broken an arm and an ankle this year alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective daredevil contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of daredevil are adventurous, daring, foolhardy, rash, reckless, and venturesome. While all these words mean "exposing oneself to danger more than required by good sense," daredevil stresses ostentation in daring.

daredevil motorcyclists

When would adventurous be a good substitute for daredevil?

The synonyms adventurous and daredevil are sometimes interchangeable, but adventurous implies a willingness to accept risks but not necessarily imprudence.

adventurous pioneers

When could daring be used to replace daredevil?

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

daring mountain climbers

When is foolhardy a more appropriate choice than daredevil?

The meanings of foolhardy and daredevil largely overlap; however, foolhardy suggests a recklessness that is inconsistent with good sense.

the foolhardy sailor ventured into the storm

Where would rash be a reasonable alternative to daredevil?

Although the words rash and daredevil have much in common, rash suggests imprudence and lack of forethought.

a rash decision

When might reckless be a better fit than daredevil?

The words reckless and daredevil can be used in similar contexts, but reckless implies heedlessness of probable consequences.

a reckless driver

In what contexts can venturesome take the place of daredevil?

While the synonyms venturesome and daredevil are close in meaning, 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 daredevil
Adjective
Colerain Township native and daredevil photographer Isaac Wright was arrested May 15 at the end of his first solo gallery exhibition in New York City, his lawyer said. Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Then there was the subplot of a daredevil robot named Saymo who broke up with his girlfriend in front of a crowd on a studio lot, then tried to roll off a ramp and fly over a car. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Noun
The character is a daredevil who embodies elements of real-life drivers Max Verstappen and James Hunt, bringing a high racing IQ and a knack for bending the rules to his advantage. Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 17 June 2025 Though stunt men and women had lent their skills, bones and sometimes very lives to the cause of motion picture entertainment, the contributions of the risk takers, daredevils and fate tempters was usually unbilled and little acknowledged. Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for daredevil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daredevil
Adjective
  • For instance, an officer or insurance adjuster might claim your lack of footwear contributed to reckless or careless driving, and the matter could even be brought up in court or during an insurance review.
    Georgea Kovanis, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Set in 1968 suburbia, Father of Us follows five siblings caught between their magnetic but reckless father and their radiant but overwhelmed mother.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The novel isn’t still, either, throwing us into a fast-paced, daring, but tender investigation into the role of ambition in art.
    Eliana Ramage September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • As described in a press release, CAOS is the singer’s most daring and intimate body of work yet.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • What exactly is a cowboy breakfast biscuit?
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Bighorn Scenic Byway Wyoming Embrace your inner cowboy with a drive along the Bighorn Scenic Byway, which takes you over the crest of the Big Horn Mountains and to spots like the city of Sheridan, where New West meets Old West in the historic downtown.
    Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While courageous, essentially relaunching a core strategy would be a terrifying feat for a leader in any arena.
    Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The importance of courageous, firm, honest leadership was reconfirmed.
    Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The adventurous archaeologist travels the globe looking for missing artifacts and historical treasures.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • For something more adventurous, Smyril Line runs a weekly ferry between Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The term Jab Jab itself comes from the French term for devil.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
  • In Michelangelo’s Last Judgment a devil drags one of the damned to hell by his testicles (which sounds like heaven to me).
    Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have returned to the streets demanding a brave leadership.
    Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
  • So carefree, fearless, brave and radiant.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But there’s still something delectable about Guillermo del Toro, a director who is both a visionary and a genre classicist, returning to the original horror novel, the tale of monsters and madmen that gave birth to all subsequent tales of monsters and madmen.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan were madmen marching the United States toward nuclear war.
    Isaac Schorr, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Daredevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daredevil. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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