Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

reckless

/ˈɹɛkləs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.82 in modern English

Syllables: reck-less
IPA: /ˈɹɛkləs/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Careless or heedless; headstrong or rash.

adj

Indifferent or oblivious to danger or the consequences thereof.

name

Example Sentences

"Escalation is the film’s nuclear energy source. It’s there, of course, in the downright lunatic stunts performed by [Tom] Cruise, again defying good sense and his own advancing years to top his previous feats of reckless self-endangerment."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *rōkijaną Proto-West Germanic *rōkijan Old English rēċan Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Old English rēċelēas Middle English rekles English reckless From Middle English rekles, reckeles, rekkeles, (also recheles), from Old English rēcelēas (“reckless, careless, negligent”), equivalent to reck + -less. Cognate with West Frisian roekeleas (“reckless”), Dutch roekeloos (“reckless”), German Low German ruuklos (“careless”), German ruchlos (“careless, notorious”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: rekles, rēcelēas
Suffix: reck

Inflected Forms

recklesser (comparative) more reckless (comparative) recklessest (superlative) most reckless (superlative) rechless (alternative, obsolete) retchless (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

recklessly recklessness

Phrases

reckless endangerment wet reckless self-destructive

Frequently Paired Words

wreckless brave cavalier hasty hotheaded self-destructive uncaring arrogance

Synonyms

daring devil-may-care headstrong heedless impetuous imprudent impulsive precipitant precipitate precipitous quick-and-dirty rash

Antonyms

reckful attentive audient careful cautious heedful

Rhymes With

necklace feckless

Questions

How do you pronounce reckless?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹɛkləs/.
What does reckless mean?: Careless or heedless; headstrong or rash.
Where does reckless come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce reckless

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “reckless”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹɛkləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “reckless”.
Repeat and practice — Say “reckless” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.