daredevil

English

Etymology

From dare +‎ devil.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛədɛvəl/, [ˈdɛədɛvəɫ]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

daredevil (plural daredevils)

1. A person who engages in very risky behavior, especially one who is motivated by a craving for excitement or attention. [from 1794]

   Synonyms: adrenaline junkie, adventurer, thrill-seeker

   Even as a youngster, Steven was a bit of a daredevil riding up homemade wooden ramps on his BMX.

Derived terms

• daredevilish
• daredevilism
• daredevilry

 

Translations

person who engages in risky behavior

• Belarusian: сарвігалава́ m or f (sarvihalavá), смяльча́к m (smjalʹčák), ліха́ч m (lixáč), зух m (zux)
• Bulgarian: луда глава (luda glava), смелчага (bg) (smelčaga), гидия (bg) m (gidija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 膽大妄為的人／胆大妄为的人 (zh) (dǎndàwàngwéi de rén), 鋌而走險的人／铤而走险的人 (zh) (dìng'érzǒuxiǎn de rén)

• Dutch: waaghals (nl) m
• Esperanto: riskemulo
• Finnish: huimapää, hurjapää (fi), uskalikko (fi)
• French: casse-cou (fr) m or f
• Georgian: თავზეხელაღებული (tavzexelaɣebuli)
• German: Wagehals (de) m, Waghals (de) m, Draufgänger (de) m, Draufgängerin (de) f
• Greek: ριψοκίνδυνος (el) m (ripsokíndynos)
• Hungarian: fenegyerek (hu)
• Italian: spericolato (it) m, temerario (it) m, scapestrato (it) m
• Japanese: 命知らず (ja) (いのちしらず, inochishirazu), 荒武者 (あらむしゃ, aramusha), 我武者羅 (ja) (がむしゃら, gamushara)
• Kyrgyz: тартынбас m or f (tartınbas)
• Macedonian: буен младеж m (buen mladež)
• Malayalam: സാഹസികൻ (ml) (sāhasikaṉ)
• Norwegian: våghals (no) m
• Polish: szaleniec (pl) m
• Russian: сорвиголова́ (ru) m or f (sorvigolová), смельча́к (ru) m (smelʹčák), лиха́ч (ru) m (lixáč), удале́ц (ru) m (udaléc)
• Spanish: arriesgado (es) m, temerario (es) m
• Swedish: våghals (sv) c
• Turkish: gözü pek (tr)
• Ukrainian: шиба́йголова m or f (šybájholova), зірви́голова m or f (zirvýholova), смільча́к m (smilʹčák), сміли́вець m (smilývecʹ), молоде́ць (uk) m (molodécʹ), пали́вода (uk) m or f (palývoda), проби́йголова m or f (probýjholova)

Adjective

daredevil (comparative more daredevil, superlative most daredevil)

1. Recklessly bold; adventurous. [from 1832]
   • 2012, Chibundu Onuzo, The Spider King’s Daughter, Faber and Faber (2013), page 27:

     Not only do they glide gracefully with burdens on their heads, they bend to pick money that has been flung at them; dash across roads with cars zooming by and the most daredevil do all this with a child strapped to their back.

   The climactic scene of “Rebel without a Cause” is the group of very daredevil teens playing chicken.

Translations

recklessly bold; adventurous

• Belarusian: зухаваты (zuxavaty)
• Bulgarian: безразсъден (bg) (bezrazsǎden), гидия (bg) (gidija)
• Catalan: temerari (ca)
• Esperanto: riskema
• French: casse-cou (fr) m
• Georgian: თავზეხელაღებული (tavzexelaɣebuli)
• German: tollkühn (de)
• Greek: παράτολμος (el) m (parátolmos)
• Italian: scavezzacollo (it)
• Serbo-Croatian: nebojša
• Spanish: temerario (es), arriesgado (es)

Verb

daredevil (third-person singular simple present daredevils, present participle daredevilling or (US) daredeviling, simple past and past participle daredevilled or (US) daredeviled)

1. (intransitive) To behave in a reckless, adventurous, or physically risky manner.