incautious

English

Etymology

From in- (negative prefix) +‎ cautious.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɑʃəs/

  Rhymes: -ɔːʃəs

Adjective

incautious (comparative more incautious, superlative most incautious)

1. careless, reckless, not exercising proper caution.

   Synonym: uncautious

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter XV, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII:

     "You might have remained so still," replies Jones, "if you had not been unfortunate, I will venture to say incautious, in the placing your affections.

   • 1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:

     "Yes, let 'Sister' Davis have a whack at it too," urged George Bland. Tom Davis, who was Joe Matson's particular chum, was designated "Sister" because, in an incautious moment, when first coming to Excelsior Hall, he had shown a picture of his very pretty sister, Mabel.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 60:

     Pot-plants on spindle-legged stands lurked in wait for an incautious gesture.

Derived terms

• incautiously
• incautiousness

Related terms

• incaution

Translations

careless, reckless, not exercising proper caution

• Bulgarian: непредпазлив (bg) (nepredpazliv)
• Catalan: incaut
• Finnish: varomaton (fi)
• German: unvorsichtig (de)
• Irish: anfhaiteach
• Latin: incautus
• Manx: neuhwoaieagh
• Portuguese: incauto (pt)
• Romanian: neatent (ro)